1 


7/a/5r 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON,     N.    J, 


Division t3..^'^     '^ 

Seciion....i..\l\.  5.X)  °^  V 


No.  10 


25  Cts, 


3 sue 


Copyright,  1885, 
bv  Harper  &  Brothers 


June  26,  1885 


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THE    M:A.H13I 


PAST  AND  PRESENT 


By    JAMES    DAEMESTETER 

PROFESSOR   IN   THE   COLLEGE   OP  FRANCE 


WITH    PORTRAITS 


Books  you  may  hold  readily  in  your  hand  are  the  most  xi^efid,  after  all 

Dr.  Johnson 


NEW    YORK 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 

1885 


HARPER'S  HANDY  SERIES. 


Messrs.  Harper  &  Brothers  beg  leave  to  announce 
that  they  have  begun  the  issue  of  a  new  series  of  publi- 
cations, to  be  called  Harper's  Handy  Series,  which  is 
intended  to  supply  the  best  current  literature  in  a  form 


3Fr0m  %  ICtbrarif  of 

S^quf  atl^f  ii  hg  I?tm  to 
t\}t  ffitbrarg  of 

f  rtnrrtnn  QIljMlngtral  S^^mtttarQ 


Volumes  or  tiAitrii.u»  haisui    j5J?iriii!i»  aireaay  mmea. 

NO  CEOT^ 

1.  That  Terrible  Man.     A  Novel.     By  W.  E.  Norris 2c 

2.  Society  in  London.     By  A  Foreign  Resident 2[ 

3.  MiGNON ;  OR,  BooTLEs's  Baby.    A  Novel.    By  J.  S.  Winter.    Ill'd.  251 

4.  Louisa.     A  Novel.     By  K.  S.  Macqnoid.     Vol.  1 25j 

5.  liOCiSA.     A  Novel.     By  K.  S.  Macquoid.     Vol.  II 2r 

6.  Home  Letters.     By  the  Late  Earl  of  Beaconsfield.     Illustrated. .  2f 

7.  How  TO  Play  Whist.     By  "Five  of  Clubs"  (R.  A.  Proctor)....  2{ 

8.  Mr.  Butler's  Ward.     A  Novel.     By  F.  Mabel  Robinson 2f| 

9.  John  Needham's  Double.     A  Novel.     By  Joseph  Hatton 2{| 

10.  The  Mahdi.     By  James  Darmesteter.     With  Portraits 2 J 

11.  The  World  op  London.     By  Count  Vasili ^ 

^  Otluer  volumes  in  preparation. 


Harper  «fe  Brothers  will  send  any  of  the  above  loorks  by  mail,  postage  jfi 
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[I 


THE  MAHDI 


The  Child  Mahdi.     (Note  35.) 


TRANSLATOR'S    PREFACE. 


In  introducing  this  little  volume  to  the  English- 
reading  public  I  am  performing  a  pleasant  duty. 
]N^ot  being  its  autlioi',  I  may  be  allowed  to  say  that 
the  book  is  not  only  interesting,  but  also  useful. 
Sketching  as  it  does  the  origin  and  strength  of  the 
belief  in  the  Mahdi,  it  illustrates  a  point  of  very 
great  importance  in  regard  to  our  Egyptian  polic3^ 
History  repeats  itself  so  closely  among  the  Mussul- 
mans, that  to  recount  the  adventures  of  former 
Mahdis  is  to  tell  the  past,  present,  and  probable 
future  history  of  the  Mahdi  who  has  been  giving 
us  so  much  trouble  of  late.  He  is  no  more  the  first 
of  his  kind  than  he  will  be  the  last ;  for,  from  the 
dawn  of  Islamism,  a  Mahdi  has  always  been  ex- 
pected, and  he  will  be  looked  for  as  long  as  a  single 

Mussulman  remains.     The  failure  of  one  Mahdi  to 
1 


4  '      translator's  preface. 

successfully  demonstrate  his  heavenly  mission  has 
always  been  followed  by  the  uprising  of  another, 
his  defeat  having  proved  him  to  be  the  false  prophet 
who,  according  to  tradition,  is  to  precede  and  herald 
the  approach  of  the  true  one.^  In  the  following 
pages  M.  Darraesteter  traces  the  history  of  the 
Mahdi  from  the  first  year  of  the  Mahometan  era 
(622  A.D.)  to  the  year  of  grace  1885—1302  of  the 
Hegira. 

In  the  present  volume  the  reader  may  learn  a 
lesson  concerning  Mussulman  character  which  should 
not  fail  to  make  a  deep  impression  upon  him,  and 
the  perusal  of  its  pages  will  convince  him  more 
than  any  words  of  mine  could  possibly  do  of  the 
necessity  of  adapting  our  foreign  policy  to  suit  the 
peculiarities  of  the  peoples  with  whom  we  come  in 
contact. 

If  a  lady  may  be  allowed  to  express  an  opinion 
on  political  matters,  I  would  observe  that  one  of 
the  greatest  faults  to  be  found  with  English  action 
in  the  Soudan  is  that  it  is  not  guided  by  a  knowl- 
edge of  Arab  character.  We  English  are  too  apt 
to  consider  that  all  people  are  constituted  alike,  and 
can  be  treated  on  precisely  the  same  principles  of 


*  See  Appendix  A. 


TKANSLATOll's   PREFACE. 


fairness  and  honesty;  we  do  not  take  sufficiently 
into  consideration  the  habits,  prejudices,  rooted 
beliefs,  and  the  wiliness  and  treachery  of  our 
brothers  in  the  East — if  indeed  we  can  call  those 
brothers  whose  very  natures  differ  so  widely  from 
our  own.  This  ignorance  of  the  mental  constitu- 
tions of  those  with  whom  we  come  in  contact  can- 
not but  be  disastrous.  It  was  a  powerful  factor  in 
producing  the  horrors  of  the  Indian  Mutiny,  and 
v/ithout  it  Khartoum  would  not  have  fallen,  and 
Gordon  might  now  have  been  alive. 

I  have  endeavored  in  my  translation  to  adhere  to 
the  original  as  closely  as  possible,  but  if  my  friend 
M.  Darmesteter  should  find  here  and  there  that  an 
allusion  has  been  omitted,*  or  that  my  rendering  is 
not  quite  literal,  he  will,  I  feel  sure,  pardon  me,  on 
the  grounds  that  I  was  more  anxious  to  give  "  the 
spirit"  than  "the  letter"  of  his  work,  and  that  on 
the  principle  stated  above  I  have  tried  to  adapt  it 
to  the  idiosyncrasies  of  the  people  for  whom  I  have 
prepared  it. 


*  M.  Darmesteter's  brochure  was  originally  delivered  as  a 
lecture  before  the  Scientific  Association  of  France,  at  the 
Sorbonne,  on  February  28,  1885.  It  contains  many  allusions 
to  French  politics,  parties,  and  literature,  of  more  interest  to 
Uie  French  audience  than  they  would  be  to  the  English  reader. 


6  TRANSLATOlt's   PREFACE 

I  am  responsible  only  for  those  notes  which  are 
signed  with  my  initials,  and  for  the  Appendix  in 
which  I  give  some  of  the  most  reliable  information 
I  have  been  able  to  obtain  about  the  present  Mahdi 
and  the  fall  of  Khartoum,  although  I  cannot  vouch 
for  the  authenticity  of  everything  therein  published. 


Ada  S.  Ballin. 


14  Tavistock  Square,  W.C. 
May  4,  1885. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE  IDEA  OP  THE  MAHDI, 


PAGE 


The  Parent  Religions  of  Islam — Meaning  of  the  ivame 
Mahdi 11 


CHAPTER  n. 

THE  FORMATION  OF   THE   IDEA   OF  THE  MAHDI. 

All — The  Caliphs  of  Damascus — The  Arabs  in  Persia — 
The  Persians  side  with  Ali — The  Divine  Right — The 
Alides — Conquests  of  the  Omeiades       .        .        .        .16 

CHAPTER  HI. 

THE  MAHDI  IN  PERSIA.      FIRST  PERIOD. 

Mohammed  the  Son  of  the  Hanefite — His  Death — Myths 
of  Sleeping  Heroes — Mohammed  and  the  Valley  of 
Radwa — Persecution  of  the  Descendants  of  Ali     .        .     26 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   MAHDI  IN   PERSIA.      SECOND   PERIOD. 

PAGE 

Fall  of  the  Omeiades — The  Abbassides — Abu-Muslim — 
The  Veiled  Prophet — Caliph  Almansor — Ali  Riza  and 
Caliph  Almamuni — The  Master  of  the  Hour— The  Sufis    33 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  MAHDI  IN   AFRICA. 

The  Fatimides—Obeid-Allah— Assassination  of  Abu-Ab- 
dallah— The  City  of  the  Mahdi— Hakim— The  Druzes— 
The  Almohades 44 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  MAHDI  IN  TURKEY. 

Sabbatai  Zevi— Antichrist  and  the  Mahdi  .        .        .        .53 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   MAHDI   IN  EGYPT. 

The  Mahdi  from  Tripoli— His  Miracles  .        .        .        ,        57 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  MAHDI   IN   THE   SOUDAN. 

Parentage  and  Youth  of  the  Mahdi  of  1884-5— The  Mahdi 
declares  himself — Revolt  against  the  Egyptians     .         .     60 


CONTENTS.  y 

CHAPTER  IX. 

MOHAMMED   AHMED   AND   HIS  RIVALS. 

PAGE 

The  Malidi's  Manners  and  Customs— His  Tactics— Civili- 
zation in  llie  Soudan — Tlie  Messianic  Idea  among  Mod- 
ern Jews— Wlien  Malidi  meets  Malidi— Divine  Mission 
of  tlie  Malidi— Tlie  Mahdi's  Claims  contested— The 
Ulemas'  Conclusions— Gordon  as  Antichrist— Islam's 
'93 65 

CHAPTER  X. 

CONCLUSION. 

Order  in  the  Soudan— England's  Mistake— The  Abyssiuians 
— The  Civilization  of  the  Future 80 

NOTES 85 

APPENDIX. 

A.  The  Mahdi  of  1884-5 HI 

B.  The  Siege  of  Khartoum 116 


THE  MAHDI. 


I. 


THE   roEA    OF   THE   MAHDI. 


At  the  time  of  Mahomet's  appearance  there  were 
in  Arabia,  besides  the  ancient  national  paganism, 
three  foreign  religions — Judaism,  Christianity,  and 
Zoroastrianism,  the  prevailing  religion  of  Persia 
before  the  Mahometan  conquest,  which  had  been 
propagated  in  Northern  Arabia  by  means  of  com- 
merce, and  in  the  south,  in  Yemen,  by  conquest. 
Mahomet  did  not  take  much  trouble  to  be  original : 
he  borrowed  his  doctrines  from  the  Jews  and 
Christians,  and  his  mythology  from  Jews,  Chris- 
tians, and  Persians.  'No  religion  was  ever  built  up 
with  such  cheap  materials. 

A  belief  common  to  the  three  parent  religions 


12  THE   MAHDI. 

was  that  in  a  supernatural  being,  wlio  at  the  end  of 
time  would  bring  back  Order  and  Justice  which 
had  been  banished  from  the  world,  and  thus 
prelude  the  kingdom  of  immortality  and  endless 
bliss. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  introduce  a  history  of 
the  idea  of  a  Messiah,  which  is  familiar  to  most  of 
our  readers.  For  our  present  purpose  it  is  suffici- 
ent to  recall  the  fact  that  the  conception  originated 
in  Judaism,  and  gave  birth  to  Christianity,  and  that 
it  had  not  taken  a  definite  foiTn,  either  among  Jews 
or  Christians,  until  subjected  to  the  influence  of 
Persian  mythology.  Hence,  under  its  three  forms, 
— Jewish,  Christian,  and  Persian, — -in  spite  of  a 
certain  variety  of  detail,  there  is  a  strong  resem- 
blance in  the  principal  points  of  the  belief. 

In  all  three  religions  the  coming  of  the  Saviour 
was  to  be  preceded  by  the  letting  loose  of  all  the 
powers  of  evil,  personified  among  the  Jews  by  the 
invasion  and  ravages  of  Gog  and  Magog ;  among 
the  Christians  by  the  Dragon,  or  the  Beast  of  Reve- 
lation, and  by  a  false  prophet,  the  prophet  of  Satan, 
called  Antichrist ;  and  among  the  Persians  by  the 
serpent  Zohak  (1),  the  incarnation  of  Ahriman,  the 
Spirit,  of  Evil. 

Again,  all  three  maintained  alike  that  the  Saviour 


THE   MAHDI.  13 

was  to  be  a  direct  lineal  descendant  of  the  most 
august  personage  in  the  national  tradition  of  each : 
among  the  Jews  and  Christians  He  was  called  the 
Messiah,  and  was  to  be  a  descendant  of  the  prophet 
king  of  Israel,  David  ;  among  the  Persians  he  was 
Saoshyant  (2),  and  was  to  be  a  son  of  the  Persian 
prophet  Zoroaster. 

In  each  of  the  three  religions  the  most  important 
historic  character  was  to  play  a  leading  part  in  the 
last  act  of  the  drama. 

The  Messianic  doctrine  of  the  Mussulman  is  bor- 
rowed from  Christianity.  Mussulmans,  like  Chris- 
tians, believe  that  when  the  time  has  come  the 
Saviour  will  destroy  the  Beast  of  the  Apocalypse, 
the  false  prophet  of  the  last  hour — Antichrist — 
whom  they  call  Deddjdl^  the  impostor ;  but  Islam- 
ism  could  not  give  the  supreme  and  decisive  role  to 
Jesus. 

The  religion  of  Islam  acknowledges  the  mission 
of  Jesus,  but  not  His  divinity.  Since  the  Creation, 
it  teaches,  five  prophets  had  appeared  before  the 
birth  of  Mahomet — Adam,  ;N"oah,  Abraham,  Moses, 
and  Jesus — each  being  greater  than  his  predecessor, 
and  each  bringing  a  fuller  and  higher  revelation 
than  the  last.  Jesus  ranks  above  all  the  prophets 
of  the  old  dispensation,  but  below  those  of  the  new, 


14  THE  MAHDI. 

inaugurated  by  Mahomet.  In  the  final  struggle 
He  will  be  but  the  servant  and  auxiliary  of  a  more 
august  personage — THE  MAHDI.    . 

The  literal  meaning  of  the  word  Mahdi  is  not,  as 
the  newspapers  generally  assert.  He  who  leads, — a 
meaning  more  in  consonance  with  European  ideas, 
— but  He  who  is  led.  The  fundamental  idea  of 
Islamism  is  the  incapability  of  man  to  guide  him- 
self— to  find  the  truth,  the  right  path — and  that  to 
ignorant  man  God  sends  now  and  again  His  proph- 
ets— men  whom  He  has  inspired  with  knowledge, 
and  to  whom  He  has  revealed  what  ought  to  be 
done. 

The  prophet  in  himself  is  as  ignorant,  as  frail,  as 
limited  in  his  powers,  as  the  rest  of  humanity ;  but 
God  dictates  to  him,  makes  him  His  mouthpiece ; 
and  if  he  leads  his  fellow-men  it  is  because  he  alone 
is  the  "  well-guided  one,"  led  by  God — the  Mahdi. 

The  word  Mahdi  is  only  an  epithet  which  may 
be  applied  to  any  prophet,  or  even  to  any  ordinary 
person  ;  but  used  as  a  proper  name  it  indicates  him 
who  is  "  well  guided "  beyond  all  others,  the 
Mahdi  par  excellence,  who  is  to  end  the  drama  of 
the  world,  and  of  whom  Jesus  shall  only  be  the 
vicar. 

Jesus  is  to  come  and  destroy  the  Antichrist,  massa- 


THE   MAHDI.  15 

ere  the  Jews,  and  convert  Christians  and  idolaters 
to  Islamism ;  having  done  this  He  will  assist  the 
Mahdi  in  the  celebration  of  the  last  great  service, 
and  will  humbly  repeat  the  prayer  uttered  by  the 
Mahdi,  as  the  faithful  in  the  mosque  repeat  the 
words  pronounced  by  the  Imam  (3),  or  leader  of 
prayer.  Then  the  trump  of  the  resurrection  will 
sound,  and  God  will  come  to  judge  the  living  and 
the  dead  (4). 


16  THE   MAHDI. 


II. 

THE   FORMATION    OF    THE   IDEA   OF   THE   MADHI. 

The  Koran  does  not  speak  of  the  Mahdi,  but  it 
seems  certain  that  Mahoniet  must  have  announced 
him,  although  it  is  impossible  to  say  exactly  what 
idea  he  had  formed  on  the  subject.  Among  the 
words  which  tradition  attributes  to  him  are  the  fol- 
lowing: "Even  though  time  shall  have  but  one 
day  more  to  last,  God  will  call  up  a  man  of  my 
family  who  will  fill  the  earth  with  justice,  as  it  is 
now  filled  with  iniquity."  (5)  In  other  words,  the 
Mahdi  was  to  be  of  the  blood  of  Mahomet. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  Mahomet  really  explained 
himself  so  clearly  on  the  point.  He  left  no  sons, 
and  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  in  prophecy  he 
admitted  a  principle  so  antagonistic  to  the  anar- 
chist spirit  of  the  Arab  race  as  that  of  heredity. 
He  never,  either  living  or  dying,  appointed  his 
heir,  acting  on  the  principle  that  God  chooses 
whom  He  will,  and  is  not  constrained  to  make  His 


THE   MAHDI.  17 

gifts  descend  with  the  blood  from  father  to  son ; 
His  favors  are  not  dependent  on  the  accident  of 
birth.  If  the  prophet  disappears  without  having 
cast  his  mantle  on  the  shoulders  of  a  favored  dis- 
ciple, it  is  the  duty  of  the  people  to  decide  on  to 
whose  shoulders  it  shall  fall.  This  question  arose 
at  the  death  of  Mahomet,  and  it  was  quickly  de- 
cided. He  left  but  one  daughter,  Fatima,  whom 
he  had  given  in  marriage  to  his  young  cousin,  Ali, 
the  first  of  his  proselytes,  who  was  at  the  same 
time  the  most  ardent  and  devoted.  A  considerable 
party  supported  Ali,  but  three  times  his  claims 
were  set  aside,  three  times  in  twenty-three  years 
the  succession  of  the  Prophet,  the  Caliphat,  left 
open  by  death,  passed  into  the  hands  of  strangers — 
Abu-Bekr,  Omar,  and  Othman. 

The  son-in-law  of  the  Prophet  at  length  succeeded 
to  the  Caliphat,  but  he  succumbed  in  the  struggle 
against  the  fierce  animosity  which  beset  him  on  all 
sides,  and  the  son  of  one  of  the  greatest  enemies  of 
the  Prophet,  of  one  of  those  who  had  fought  to  the 
very  last  for  the  ancient  idolatry  of  Arabia,  Moaviah, 
Prefect  of  Damascus,  head  of  tlie  family  of  the 
Omeiades,  founded  the  hereditary  Caliphat  on  the 
corpse  of  Ali. 

The  Caliphs  of  Damascus  were  iearful  miscreants. 


18  THE   MAHDl. 

who  drank  wine  openly  instead  of  drinking  it  in 
secret,  as  a  pious  Mussulman  should.  Their  typical 
representative  was  Welid  II.,  who  used  the  Koran 
as  a  target  to  shoot  at  in  sport,  saying  to  it  in  verse : 
"  In  the  day  of  I'esurrection  you  can  tell  the  Lord 
that  it  was  the  Caliph  Welid  who  tore  you  to  rags  ;" 
or  that  Abd-el-Melik,  who  the  moment  he  was 
saluted  by  the  title  of  Cah'ph,  shut  the  Koran  which 
hitherto  he  had  always  had  by  him,  saying  :  "!Now 
we  two  must  part  company."  Yet  it  was  under  the 
auspices  of  these  half  idolatrous  princes  that  Islam 
made  those  marvellous  conquests  which,  like  those 
of  the  French  Kevolution  under  Napoleon,  are  still 
the  wonder  of  history.  It  is  the  rule  that  a  new 
principle  can  only  triumph  in  the  world  by  means 
of  those  who  corrupt  it  and  turn  it  to  their  own 
advantage.  It  was  at  the  time  of  this  triumph  of 
the  Omeiades  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Mahdi  began 
to  grow  definite,  and  to  be  developed  in  favor  of 
the  descendants  of  Ali. 

Because  in  the  interval  a  great  eA^ent  had  hap- 
pened— the  conquest  of  Persia.  That  immense 
empire,  which  for  four  centuries  had  stood  its 
ground  at  Home  and  Byzantium,  had  fallen,  in  a 
few  years,  beneath  the  attack  of  a  few  Arab  squad- 
rons shouting  the  war-cry,  Mlaliakbar^  ^'God  is 


THE   MAHDI.  19 

great."  The  national  resistance  was  practically 
nothing.  The  armies  of  the  State  dispersed,  the 
people  submitted  without  a  struggle.  Nay  more, 
they  adopted  the  new  religion  all  but  unanimously, 
although  it  was  not  imposed  upon  them ;  for  the 
Arabs,  fanatics  as  they  were,  did  not  at  first,  as  is 
supposed,  offer  the  choice  between  the  Koran  and 
the  sword  :  they  made  a  third  alternative— the  pay- 
ment of  tribute,  an  alternative  the  adoption  of  which 
the  Caliphs  greatly  preferred  to  that  of  either  of  the 
others,  for  it  had  the  great  advantage  of  filling  their 
coffers.  The  success  of  the  Koran  alarmed  their 
ministers  of  finance,  and  as  the  uncompromising 
Mussulmans  complained,  it  seemed  as  if  God  had 
sent  the  Prophet  not  as  an  apostle,  but  as  a  tax-col- 
lector. 

Almost  the  whole  of  Persia  was  converted,  and 
willingly;  for  the  Arabian  invasion  was  both  a 
religious  and  a  political  deliverance  for  her.  She 
had  experienced  under  the  last  national  kino-s  a 
period  of  terrible  anarchy,  and  the  State  religion, 
Zoroastrianism,  a  religion  of  pure  and  high  morality, 
had  nevertheless  given  rise  to  intolerance— a  new 
thing  in  the  East.  Charged  with  troublesome  prac- 
tices and  annoying  prohibitions  to  which  the  Sassa- 

nides— the  first  sovereigns  who  invented  the  formula 
til 


20  THE   MAHDI. 

of  the  throne  supported  bj  the  altar  (6) — had  given 
secular  support,  Zoroastrianism  had  lost  all  hold  on 
the  mind ;  moreover,  as  it  was  hostile  to  that  spirit 
of  asceticism  which  people  like  to  see  in  their 
religion  even  if  they  do  not  practise  it  themselves, 
it  ceased  to  be  respected  without  ceasing  to  be 
wearisome,  and  it  could  last  no  longer,  because 
without  restricting  the  passions  it  hindered  the 
interests  of  its  professors. 

Thus  from  the  first  attack  a  great  part  of  Persia 
became  Mussulman,  although  with  a  curious  Islam- 
ism  it  is  true.  Islam  relieved  her  of  her  former 
inconvenient  creed,  but  she  introduced  into  the  new 
religion  something  far  dearer  to  any  nation  than  its 
religion,  dogmas,  or  form  of  worship — her  whole 
mythology. 

"When  the  struggle  began  between  Ali  and  the 
Omeiades,  Persia  w^as  in  reality  very  little  inter- 
ested. What  did  it  matter  to  Persians  whether  the 
Arab  Ali  or  the  Arab  Moaviah  held  the  sceptre  of 
the  Caliph?  They  would  side  with  the  vanquished, 
whichever  party  it  was  ;  for  to  do  so  was  to  take 
up  arms  against  a  master.  The  national  spirit  had 
soon  revived. 

They  had  no  idea  of  returning  to  the  ancient  re- 
ligion, for  their  recollections  of  it  were  still  too 


THE    MAHDI.  21 

vivid.  They  would  remain  Mussulmans;  but  Is- 
lamism  is  one  thing  and  the  Arabs  are  another :  by 
the  former  they  would  abide,  but  they  would  have 
as  little  to  do  with  the  latter  as  possible.  Ali  being 
defeated,  w^as  thought  to  be  in  the  right,  and  hav- 
ing once  sided  with  him,  they  did  so  heart  and 
soul,  because  for  the  Persians  AH,  the  son-in-law  of 
the  Prophet,  and  the  sons  of  Ah,  grandchildren  of 
the  Prophet,  represented  the  principle  of  heredity, 
a  divine  right. 

The  Persian  constitution  for  centuries  past  had 
rested  on  divine  right,  a  principle  which  was,  more- 
over, common  to  all  Aryan  nations  in  the  early 
periods  of  their  development.  The  Persians,  like 
the  Hindus,  and  like  the  Greeks  of  Homer's  time, 
beheved  that  there  are  among  men  certain  families 
directly  descended  from  God,  to  whom  regal  power 
belongs  by  the  right  of  their  superhuman  nature. 
These  kings,  these  "  sons  of  Zeus,"  as  the  Greeks 
called  them,  received  and  transmitted  from  father  to 
son,  according  to  the  Persian  belief,  a  subtle  flame, 
a  sort  of  aureole  of  celestial  origin,  which  was 
called  the  Farri  yazdan,  "  The  glory  coming  from 
God."  The  king  was  God,  son  of  God.  On  the 
inscriptions  which  remain  from  the  time  of  these 
princes,  they  are  proclaimed  to  be  "  divine,  of  celes- 


22  THE   MAHDI. 

tial  race"  (Y).  In  their  correspondence  they  styled 
themselves  "Brother  of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  Man 
among  Gods,  God  among  Men"  (8) ;  and  on  their 
crowns  they  bore  a  representation  of  the  celestial 
globe,  to  remind  people  that  they  were  the  axis  or 
pole  of  humanity  (9). 

Daring  four  centuries,  under  the  Sassanides,  Per- 
sia had  been  glorious  and  powerful,  because  the 
power  had  remained  with  those  of  legitimate  de- 
scent and  divine  blood.  Even  the  great  Sassanides 
did  not  think  themselves  firm  on  the  throne  until 
they  had  fabricated  a  relationship  through  the  Par- 
thian s,  and  the  successors  of  Alexander,  to  the  race 
of  the  Achemenides,  lineal  descendants  of  the  first 
mythical  heroes  of  the  Avesta,  Feridun,  and  Jem- 
shid.  The  decadence  of  Persia  had  commenced  on 
the  day  when  usurpation  interrupted  the  line  of 
divine  succession.  Thus  for  a  Persian  believing  in 
Islamism,  the  pretentions  and  triumph  of  the  Ome- 
iades,  besides  their  worthlessness  from  the  religious 
standpoint,  were  an  outrage  against  reason  and 
right. 

Ali  was  liardly  dead  before  he  became  enshrined 
in  legend  and  in  myth.  Ali,  cousin,  brother, 
adopted  son  of  the  Prophet,  his  first  convert,  and 
his  bravest  defender ;  the  warrior  whom  none  had 


THE  MAHDI.  23 

ever  vanquished ;  "  at  the  birth  of  whom,"  said 
Caliph  Abu  Bekr,  "  the  bravest  swords  had  returned 
to  their  scabbards ;"  the  Samson  of  his  time,  who, 
at  the  assault  of  Khaiber,  had  torn  the  gate  of  the 
town  from  its  hinges  and  used  it  as  a  buckler  ;  the 
beautiful,  the  noble,  the  charitable,  the  generous, 
the  wise  and  learned  Ali,  of  whom  the  Prophet  had 
said,  "  I  am  the  stronghold  of  knowledge,  and  Ali 
IS  the  gate  of  it ;"  Ali,  three  times  deprived  by  in- 
trigue of  his  inheritance,  and  falling  at  last  beneath 
the  dagger  ol  assassins,  became  for  his  admirers  a 
sort  of  heroic  Christ  militant  (10). 

Hence  the  great  schism  which  from  the  first 
divided  the  camp  of  Islam.  While  the  greater 
w umber  of  Mussulmans,  the  men  of  tradition,  the 
Sunnites^  revered  the  first  three  elected  Caliphs 
equally  with  Ali,  the  others  principally  recruited 
among  the  Persians,  regarded  them  as  usurpers, 
and  acknowledged  only  the  son-in-law  of  the  Proph- 
et as  imam^  or  legitimate  chief.  They  founded  the 
sect  of  Alides  or  Imdmians  ;  that  is  to  say,  those 
who  believe  that  there  is  always  a  sinless  imam, 
whose  existence  is  absolutely  necessary  to  maintain 
the  order  of  the  universe,  that  there  is  but  one  le- 
gitimate imchn  in  the  world  as  there  is  but  one 
God  in  heaven,  and  that  this  dignity  of  imam  is  in- 
herent in  the  race  of  Ali,  chosen  by  God.     This  is 


24  THE   MAHDI. 

the  sect  which  is  best  known  in  Europe  under  the 
name  which  the  orthodox  party  has  given  it  of 
Shiites,  or  sectarians. 

Among  his  adherents  the  worship  of  Ali  speedily 
took  on  all  the  characteristics  of  a  religion.  He 
was  in  part  divine ;  he  was  not  dead,  but  had  as- 
cended to  heaven;  it  was  he  who  was  seen  in 
storms  riding  on  the  hurrying  clouds ;  it  was  he 
whose  voice  was  heard  in  thunder,  and  whose  whip 
was  seen  to  writhe  in  lightning  flaslies.  It  is  said 
that  even  during  his  lifetime  he  was  adored  by 
some  as  the  incarnation  of  the  Deity.  Some  men 
exclaimed  in  his  presence,  "  Thou  art  God !"  Ali, 
indignant,  and  ignorant  of  his  own  divinity,  had 
their  heads  cut  off  ;  but  the  heads  rolling  on  the 
earth  continued  to  cry,  "Ali,  thou  art  God!"  (11) 

Ali  left  two  sons  by  Fatima,  Hassan  and  Hus- 
sein :  Hassan  was  poisoned  by  the  Omeiades ;  Hus- 
sein, abandoned  in  the  struggle  by  the  partisans 
w4io  had  called  him  forth,  was  massacred  at  Kerbela 
with  all  his  family  after  a  heroic  resistance  and 
scenes  of  horror,  the  representation  of  which  gave 
birth  in  Persia  to  a  monotonous  but  admirable 
drama  known  to  Europeans  through  the  works  of 
MM.  de  Gobineau  and  Chodzko  (12),  and  which 
even  now,  every  year,  makes  the  most  incredulous 
Persian  weep  with  sorrow  and  rage. 


THE   MAHDI.  25 

The  Omeiades  miglit  well  tnnmpli,  besiege  and 
sack  the  sacred  towns  Mecca  and  Medina,  and  bear 
the  arms  of  Islam  beyond  the  Oxiis  and  the  Indus, 
to  the  Caucasus  and  the  Pyrenees ;  but  they  were 
only  masters  de  facto  /  there  was  no  legitimate 
chief,  no  hndin  but  of  the  race  of  Ali.  However 
dark  was  the  present,  in  the  future  from  Ali  must 
arise  the  Saviour,  the  Mahdi,  for  the  sacred  trust 
of  the  Prophet's  blood  had  been  given  to  Ali.  The 
Zoroastrian  Persians  believed  that  the  Saviour, 
Saoshvant,  was  to  be  born  of  the  blood  of  their 
prophet  Zoroaster.  The  converted  Persians  had 
only  to  change  the  proper  names.  They  told  how 
one  day  Ali  had  said  to  the  Prophet :  "  O  Prophet 
of  God !  will  the  Mahdi  be  of  our  or  of  another 
family  ?"  and  the  Prophet  had  made  answer :  "  Cer- 
tainly he  will  be  of  our  own.  It  is  through  our 
agency  that  God  will  complete  His  work,  just  as  it 
was  through  us  that  He  commenced  it"  (13). 

The  idea  of  the  Mahdi  once  formed  it  circulated 
throughout  the  Mussulman  world :  we  will  follow 
it  rapidly  in  its  course  among  the  Persians,  the 
Turks,  the  Egyptians,  and  the  Arabs  of  the  Soudan ; 
but  without  for  an  instant  pretending  to  pass  in  re- 
view all  the  Mahdis  who  have  appeared  upon  the 
prophetic  stage  ;  for  their  name  is  Legion. 


26  THE    MAHDI. 


III. 


THE  MAHDI   IN   PEKSIA.       FIEST   PERIOD. 

Hussein,  the  second  son  of  Ali  and  Fatima,  left 
but  one  child,  Ali,  who  was  only  ten  jears  old — too 
young  to  serve  as  a  rally ing-point  for  the  disaf- 
fected. But  by  a  wife  other  than  Fatima,  Ali  had 
left  another  son,  named  "  Mohammed,  son  of  the 
Hanefite."  He  lived  quietly  at  Mecca,  far  from 
the  dangers  of  active  life ;  but  all  the  hearts  of  the 
Alides  turned  tow^ards  him.  An  ambitious  man 
named  Mokhtar  then  rose  in  his  name  and  took  the 
title  of  ^'  Lieutenant  of  the  Mahdi,''  and  thus  for 
the  first  time  the  name  Mahdi  appeared  in  history 
only  half  a  century  after  the  death  of  the  Prophet. 

This  Mokhtar  was  a  clever  fellow,  who  in  turn 
held  in  with  all  parties ;  and  to  palliate  his  changes 
of  opinion,  invoked  a  dogma  of  his  own  invention, 
which  is  strongly  to  be  recommended  to  political 
theologians — the  dogma  of  the  mutability  of  the 
Deity — according  to  which  the  intellectual  activity 


THE   MAHDT.  27 

of  God  is  SO  great  that  necessarily  His  ideas  change 
every  instant ;  and,  naturally,  those  who  follow  the 
inspirations  of  God  ought — it  is  a  sacred  duty — to 
try  and  imitate  these  variations.  He  announced  to 
his  soldiers  that  if  they  grew  faint  in  battle  the 
angels  would  come  to  succor  them  in  the  form  of 
birds ;  and  at  a  critical  moment  he  had  flights  of 
pigeons  set  free,  a  stratagem  which  was  marvel- 
lously successful.  He  had  borne  before  his  soldiers 
a  seat  bought  at  a  bric-a-brac  shop  in  Koufa,  which 
he  held  up  to  the  veneration  of  the  faithful  as 
being  the  seat  of  Ali,  and  which  he  said  was  to  be 
for  them  what  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  was  for 
the  children  of  Israel :  with  this  palladium  they 
would  be  invincible  (14). 

Mohammed,  feelino^  that  he  would  never  be  anv- 
thing  but  a  puppet  in  the  hands  of  this  man, 
allowed  him  to  act  without  protest.  Mokhtar  per- 
ished in  spite  of  all  his  cunning,  but  none  the  less 
did  Mohammed,  without  effort  of  his  own,  remain 
the  Mahdi  for  his  partisans.  This,  however,  did 
not  prevent  his  dying  in  his  turn,  although  his  fol- 
lowers refused  to  believe  his  death,  and  announced 
that  he  would  return. 

This  was  the  first  invasion  into  Islam  of  an  old 
myth  familiaiLto  Persian  mythology  which  we  shall 


28  THE    MAHDI. 

meet  again  hereafter — the  mytli  of  a  hero  believed 
to  be  dead,  but  who,  either  hidden  or  asleep,  awaits 
the  time  for  his  return.  It  is  one  of  the  favorite 
legends  of  Aryan,  and  more  especially  of  Persian 
mythology,  and  has  its  origin  in  the  nature-myth 
of  the  reappearance  of  the  sun  after  it  has  been 
shrouded  in  night,  or  clouds.  The  brilliant  hero 
wept  as  dead  comes  forth  again  triumphant,  not 
having  been  dead  but  asleep.  Hence  when  dark- 
ness is  victoi'ious  there  is  the  hope  of  a  bright 
awakening.  The  God  is  not  dead ;  He  sleeps  and 
will  wake  again  (15). 

Tales  like  this  are  in  harmonv  with  the  imao^ina- 
tion  of  the  people,  which  in  face  of  present  sorrows 
loves  to  see  a  glimmer  of  hope  in  the  distant  future. 
Among  peoples  tormented  with  a  national  dream  it 
is  the  expectation  of  a  new  era.  During  how  many 
centuries  did  the  British  Celts  await  the  coming  of 
Arthur,  who  was  said  to  be  resting  in  the  Island  of 
Avalon,  where  the  fairy  Morgain  was  healing  his 
wounds,  and  who  would  leave  it  to  drive  away  the 
Saxons  from  his  land  and  conquer  the  world  ?  The 
Servians  look  for  the  return  of  Marko  Kralievich, 
who  sleeps  in  a  cavern  where  God  bore  him  from 
the  midst  of  a  battle.  There  are  few  who  will  not 
recall  the  story  of  Frederick   Bai-barossa  and  the 


THE   MAHDI.  29 

Castle  of  Kaisei'slantern  ;  and  in  1870  the  German 
poets  exclaimed  that  Barbarossa  had  awakened,  and 
that  the  withered  tree  had  grown  green  again  (16). 
In  1848,  at  the  news  of  the  Austrian  defeats  in 
Italy,  the  report  arose  that  when  only  two  soldiers 
should  remain  of  the  emperor's  forces,  the  Subter- 
ranean Guest  would  reappear  and,  like  a  hurricane, 
sweep  away  tlie  Italian  army.  In  Portugal  more 
than  one  old  woman  still  tells  how  Doni  Sebastian, 
with  whom  the  greatness  of  the  nation  was  ingulfed 
three  centuries  ago  beneath  the  sands  of  Africa,  has 
not  really  perished,  but  will  soon  return  with  a  fleet 
from  Brazil ;  Dom  Louis  will  abdicate  at  his  coming, 
and  the  great  days  of  Yasco  di  Gama  will  recom- 
mence. 

During  many  centuries  the  imagination  of  the 
Persians  was  busy  witli  les^ends  sucli  as  these.  No 
other  people  has  had  so  many  heroes  asleep  and 
ready  to  reappear. 

The  most  ilhistrious  was  Keresaspa,  a  destroyer  of 
demons,  who  after  innumerable  and  marvellous  ex- 
ploits was  wounded  in  his  sleep  by  the  lance  of  a 
Turanian.  But  dead  he  still  lives ;  ninety-nine 
thousand  nine  hundred  angels  watch  over  his  body 
in  the  plain  of  Kaboul.  At  the  end  of  time,  when 
the   serpent   Zoluik,  tlie   incarnation    of    Ahriman, 


30  THE   MAHDI. 

chained  up  by  Feridun  on  the  mountain  Demavend, 
shall  break  asunder  his  chains  and  traverse  the 
world  in  triumph,  like  the  Christian  Antichrist  and 
the  Mussulman  Deddjal,  Keresaspa  will  arise  from 
his  slumber  to  slay  him  with  one  fell  blow. 

Besides  Keresaspa  there  are  many  other  immor- 
tals who  await  in  the  tomb  the  hour  of  the  final 
struggle :  Khumbya,  Aghraeratha,  and  the  com- 
panions-in-arms  of  the  king  Kaikhosrav. 

Besides  these  there  are  heroes  who  have  never 
died,  but  who  wait  in  distant  or  invisible  regions : 
Urvatatnara,  the  son  of  Zoroaster,  who  carried  his 
father's  law  into  the  subterranean  kingdom  of 
Yima ;  Peshotanu,  son  of  the  king  Gushtasp,  whom 
Zoroaster  caused  to  drink  a  cup  of  sacred  milk 
which  rendered  him  immortal.  Such  is  the  crowd 
which  at  the  end  of  time  will  surround  Saosliyant, 
the  yet  unborn  son  of  Zoroaster,  when  he  appears 
to  kill  Death  and  preside  at  the  resurrection  (IT). 

When  Mohammed,  the  son  of  Ali,  the  first 
Mahdi,  had  disappeared,  and  there  was  no  possi- 
bility of  doubt  that  he  was  beyond  reach,  the  old 
mythology  came  to  sustain  the  neo-Mussnlmans  in 
their  new  faith.  The  poets  sang  that  he  was  hid- 
den for  a  time  near  Medina,  in  the  valley  of 
Radwa,  where  water  and  honey  flow,  waiting  the 


THE   MAHDI.  31 

day  when  he  should  reappear  at  the  head  of  his 
horsemen  preceded  by  the  standard  (18).  Moham- 
med himself,  they  said,  had  pointed  out  with  his 
finger  the  pass  among  the  mountains  whence  the 
Mahdi  should  come  forth  to  gather  together  around 
liim  armies  as  numerous  as  the  flakes  of  vapor  of 
wliich  the  clouds  are  formed  ;  and  there  were  peo- 
ple who  took  up  their  abode  at  the  favored  spot, 
and  died  there  waiting  for  him  (19). 

Tlie  time  of  liis  absence  was  fixed  at  seventy 
years,  the  period  assigned  by  the  Bible  as  that  of 
the  duration  of  human  life.  A  fragment  of  one  of 
tliese  poems  by  a  great  poet  of  the  time,  the  Him- 
yarite  Seld  (20),  remains,  and  its  character  may  be 
seen  from  the  following  few  verses  rendered  ac- 
cording to  the  beautiful  translation  in  French  by 
M.  Barbier  de  Meynard  : 

"O  thou  for  whom  I  would  give  my  life,  long  is  thy  stay  in 
this  mountain! 

Sorely  are  we  oppressed,  we  wlio  implore  thee,  we  who  pro- 
claim thee  Caliph  and  Imam. 

All  the  nations  of  the  earth   reckon   seventy  years   for  the 
length  of  thine  absence. 

No,  the  son  of  Khawlah  (31)  has  not  tasted  the  cup  of  death. 
The  earth  does  not  hide  his  remains. 

He  watches  in  the  depths  of  the  valley  Radwa,  in  the  midst 
of  the  conversation  of  angels.  ... 


32  THE   MAHDI. 

O  valley  of  Radwa,  what  has  become  of  him  whom  thou 
hidest  from  our  eyes,  and  for  the  love  of  whom  our 
minds  are  distracted? 

How  long  shall  our  waiting  last,  O  son  of  the  Prophet;  thou 
who  livest  nourished  by  God?"  (22). 

While  the  people  were  waiting  for  the  return  of 
Mohammed,  Hussein's  son,  the  grandchild  of  Ah', 
was  growing  up.  The  dead  cannot  long  hold  their 
ground  against  the  living,  and  the  mass  of  the 
Alides  abandoned  the  invisible  imam  for  him  who 
was  present  and  visible.  He  was  poisoned.  His 
son  Mohammed  succeeded  him  in  the  veneration  of 
the  Alides,  but  met  a  similar  fate  to  that  of  his 
father.  Poison  was  the  temporal  consecration  of  the 
und?ns.  Zeid,  a  younger  brother  of  Mohammed, 
then  proclaimed  himself  Mahdi,  and  raised  the 
standard  of  revolt.  He  perished,  and  the  Caliph  had 
his  naked  body  strung  up  to  a  gibbet,  and  insulted 
it  through  his  poets,  who  said,  "  We  have  fastened 
your  Zeid  to  the  trunk  of  a  palm-tree  ;  I  have  never 
seen  a  Mahdi  hanging  on  a  gibbet  before"  (23). 


THE   MAHDI.  33 


IV. 

THE   MAHDI    IN    PERSIA.       SECOND    PERIOD. 

The  days  of  the  Omeiades  were  nnnibercd.  Af- 
ter a  century  of  power  they  disappeared  in  a  mo- 
ment before  the  Abbassides ;  the  whole  royal 
family,  eighty  persons  in  all,  invited  to  a  banquet 
given  ostensibly  for  pui'poses  of  reconciliation,  were 
strangled  by  their  enemies,  who  held  a  triumphant 
orotic  over  their  dead  bodies.  The  Alides  then 
began  to  breathe  again,  and  thought  their  chance 
had  come,  for  it  had  been  with  their  support  and  in 
their  name  that  the  Abbassides  had  struggled,  and 
naturally  they  believed  this  triumph  to  be  a  victory 
for  themselves. 

They  were,  however,  speedily  and  cruelly  disa- 
bused of  their  confidence.  The  Abbassides,  like 
themselves,  belonged  to  the  family  of  Mahomet,  be- 
ing descended  from  Abbas,  the  Prophet's  uncle. 
As  long  as  the  struggle  had  lasted  they  liad  con- 
cealed their  personal  pretensions,  and  given  them- 


34  THE   MAHDI. 

selves  out  to  be  the  avengers  of  Ali  and  his  sons  ; 
thev  had  wrouo:ht  up  the  fanaticism  of  the  Ahdes 
to  a  pitch  of  terrible  excitement,  and  thus  caused 
Persia  to  side  with  them  ;  throughout  the  empire 
tliey  had  sent  missionaries  to  stir  up  the  burning 
memory  of  the  scenes  of  Kerbela,  who  had  thrown 
Mussulman  Persia  into  an  ecstasy  of  grief  at  the 
Passion  of  Ali  and  his  sons,  the  divine  martyrs. 
These  emissaries  made  their  dupes  swear  fidelity  to 
a  Caliph  of  the  family  of  the  Prophet  without  men- 
tioning his  name.  Their  chief  agent  and  execu- 
tioner was  a  man  from  Eastern  Persia,  named  Abu- 
Muslim,  who  had  formerly  been  a  saddler  by  trade. 
He  was  a  stern  and  cruel  fanatic,  one  of  those  men 
who,  in  the  words  of  a  poet  of  the  time,  never  drank 
water  unmixed  with  blood. 

As  the  star  of  the  Omeiades  sank,  the  Abbassides 
began  gradually  to  tlirow^  the  Alides  into  the  shade. 
Were  they  not  also  of  the  race  of  tlie  Prophet? 
and  to  enforce  their  claims  they  spread  a  report  that 
the  first  Mahdi,  Mohammed,  the  son  of  the  Hanetite, 
had  duly  transmitted  his  rights  to  one  of  their  an- 
cestors (24) ;  they  forged  new  traditions,  apocryphal 
words  attributed  to  Mahomet,  who  naturally  was 
not  in  a  position  to  disclaim  them.  They  aftirmed 
tUat  Mahomet  had  said  one  day  to  his  uncle  Abbas. 


THE   MAHDI.  35 

"  In  ye  shall  rest  prophecy  and  sovereignty."  An- 
other day  he  had  said  plainly  to  him,  "  Thou  art 
the  Father  of  tlie  Caliphs  amongst  whom  shall 
be  Al  Mahdi,  and  amongst  whom  shall  be  one 
who  shall  pray  together  with  Jesus,  the.  son  of 
Mary,  O  uncle,  dost  thou  not  know  that  Al  Mahdi 
shall  be  of  thy  descendants,  the  prospered  of  God, 
happy  and  approved  f  (25).  Thus  when  the  Alides 
were  preparing  to  mount  the  throne  left  vacant 
by  the  Omeiades,  they  found  their  avengers  block- 
ing the  way  to  it.  The  principal  captains  of  the 
Abbassides  were  Alides,  who  had  thought  they  were 
laboring  for  the  descendants  of  Ali.  These  were 
got  rid  of  one  by  one. 

Abu-Muslim    went   to    rejoin    the    six   hundred 
thousand    victims   which    he  is  said  to  liave  slain, 
with  his  own  hand.     His  fall  was  brought  about  by 
u  letter  that  he  sent  to  the  Caliph  Almansor,  and 
which  ran  as  follows  : 

"I  had  a  guide  of  the  family  of  the  Prophet, 
who  was  to  teach  me  the  doctrines  and  the  duties 
prescribed  by  God.  I  thought  that  in  him  I  had 
found  knowledge;  but  he  led  me  astray  even  by 
the  aid  of  the  Koran  itself,  which  he  falsified  by  his 
love  for  the  wealth  of  this  world.  He  bade  me  in 
the  name  of  God  draw  my  sword,  banish  every 
3 


36  THE   MAHDI. 

feeling  of  pity  from  my  heart,  accept  no  justifica- 
tion from  my  adversaries,  and  pardon  no  error. 
All  this  have  I  done.  I  prepared  for  you  the  way 
to  power,  for  I  did  not  know  you  ;  but  now  God 
has  led  me  from  my  error — now  I  know  you  only 
too  well ;  now  I  regret  and  am  penitent.  May  God 
pardon  all  the  wrongs  I  have  committed ;  but  if 
He  does  not  pardon  me,  if  He  punishes  me,  I  must 
still  acknowledge  that  He  is  righteous"  (26). 

To  so  great  an  extent  was  it  the  ancient  Persian 
mythology  which  inspired  the  movement  of  the 
Alides,  that  Abu-Muslim  found  an  avenger  in  Sin- 
bad,  a  priest  of  fire,  belonging  to  an  ancient  Persian 
Zoroastrian  sect,  the  sect  of  Mazdak.  lie  went 
about  proclaiming  that  Abu-Muslim  was  not  dead, 
that  at  the  moment  of  execution  he  had  invoked 
the  supreme  and  secret  name  of  God,  and  had  es- 
caped from  the  hands  of  Almansor,  flying  away  in 
the  form  of  a  white  dove.  He  had  retired  to  a 
castle  made  of  copper  in  the  company  of  the  Mahdi, 
who  would  soon  leave  it  with  him,  with  Mazdak  for 
his  Yizier.  It  took  seven  years  of  fierce  warfare  to 
put  an  end  to  Sinbad  (27). 

Very  soon  Abu-Muslim,  growing  more  and  more 
in  importance  after  his  death,  from  precursor  of 
the  Mahdi,  came  to  be  regarded  as  himself  an  in- 


THE   MAHDI.  37 

carnation  of  the  divinity.  His  apostle  and  suc- 
cessor was  his  former  secretav}^,  a  working  fuller, 
who  was  called  the  Veiled  Prophet  (28),  ElMo- 
canna,  because  he  wore  a  veil  ostensibly  so  that  he 
should  not  dazzle  mortal  eyes  by  the  splendor  of 
his  divine  light,  really  to  hide  a  horrible  wound 
which  had  disfigured  him.  He  taught  that  God 
had  appeared  nine  times  in  human  form.  Adam, 
Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Mahomet,  Ali,  and  the  Son 
of  the  Hanefite  had  been  the  first  seven  incarna- 
tions. He  had  afterwards  appeared  with  the  feat- 
ures of  Al)u-Muslim ;  and  now  He  at  the  same  time 
revealed  and  veiled  Himself  in  the  person  of  El- 
Mocanna.  By  the  aid  of  miracles,  that  is  to  say,  of 
conjuring  tricks,  of  which  he  was  past  master,  the 
Yeiled  Prophet  of  Khorassan  came  to  be  regarded 
as  divine.  Three  armies  sent  out  against  him  were 
destroyed ;  but  at  last,  surrounded  and  at  bay,  he 
set  fire  to  his  fortress  and  disappeared  like  an  arcli- 
ani^el  in  the  flames.  Centuries  afterwards  he  still 
had  worshippers  (29). 

The  Abbassides  might  easily  have  turned  this 
stream  of  religious  mania  to  their  own  advantage. 
Amono;  the  soldiers  of  Abu-Muslim  were  three 
thousand  men  from  Khorassan,  the  Ravandis,  who 
discovered  one  fine  day  that  the  God  whom  they 


38  THE    MAHDI. 

sought  on  earth  was  that  very  Caliph  Ahnaiisor 
whom  they  had  placed  on  the  throne ;  moreover, 
that  the  sonl  of  Adam  had  passed  into  his  captain 
of  the  guards,  and  the  Angel  Gabriel  into  the  pre- 
fect of  the  city. 

Each  time  they  saw  Almausor  they  prostrated 
themselves,  saying,  ''  Behold  God  ;  he  has  in  him  a 
portion  of  God."  He  was  recommended  to  put 
them  to  death  as  heretics,  but  he  replied  wittily 
enough:  '*I  would  rather  see  them  in  hell  and 
faithful  to  me,  than  that  they  should  revolt  and  go 
to  heaven."  One  day  they  began  to  walk  round  the 
palace  like  the  pilgrims  at  Mecca  walk  round  the 
Caaba ;  they  interfered  with  traffic,  and  Almansor, 
who  was  in  a  bad  temper  that  day,  had  them  put  in 
prison,  and  forbade  their  assembling  under  pain  of 
death.  They,  however,  gathered  together,  and  de- 
cided that  that  portion  of  God  which  had  entered 
into  him  had  left  him,  that  God  had  cursed  him, 
and  that  he  must  be  killed  so  that  the  Deity  might 
enter  into  some  one  else.  They  marched  to  the 
palace,  and  almost  took  it  by  a  cou^  de  main  ;  but 
the  devotion  of  a  servant  saved  the  Caliph's  life  and 
his  crown  (30). 

After  a  ray  of  hope  the  road  to  martyrdom  again 
lay  open   before  the   Alides.     The   second  Caliph 


THE   MAHDI.  30 

Almansor  had  given  his  son  and  heir  the  name  of 
Mahdi,  as  a  protest  against  their  claims;  but  an 
empty  title  was  not  enongh  to  reduce  the  legitimate 
heirs  to  silence.  Two  Alides,  brothers,  Mohammed 
and  Ibrahim,  rose  at  the  same  time,  one  in  Arabia 
and  the  other  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates.  Both 
perished.  The  Alides  had  only  changed  execu- 
tioners; but  the  executioners  belonged  to  the 
family,  and  that  made  all  the  difference.  The  sister 
of  Mohammed,  when  she  heard  of  his  death,  ex- 
claimed in  a  joyful  tone  :  ''  God  be  praised  that  he 
did  not  flee,  and  did  not  fall  alive  into  their  hands. 
He  was  killed  like  his  father,  his  uncles,  and  his 

ancestors"  (31). 

The  head  of  the  family  of  the  Alides,  the  legiti- 
mate Imam  Jafar,  who  was  alive  at  the  fall  of  the 
Omeiades,  had  died  by  poison  like  his  predecessors; 
his  successor,  the  seventh  Imam,  Musa,  was  poi- 
soned in  liis  turn  by  the  Caliph  of  AraUan  NigJds' 
celebrity,  Haroun  al  Rashid. 


Under  the  eighth  Imam,  Ali  Riza,  a  sudden 
change  seemed  about  to  take  place.  The  Caliph 
was  Almamun,  a  strange  man.  He  was  a  liberal 
inasmuch  as   he    sent    orthodox  people  to  the   gah 


40  THE   MAHDI. 

lows,  a  form  of  liberalism  by  no  means  rare — in  the 
East.  Now  on  reflection  this  Calipli  began  to  have 
doubts  as  to  tlie  legality  of  the  power  of  the  Abbas- 
sides  ;  hence  arose  the  remarkable  spectacle  of  one 
of  the  Abbassides  who  actually  sided  with  the 
Alides.  His  scruples  did  not  lead  him  so  far  as  to 
abdicate  himself,  but  he  disinherited  his  sons,  de- 
clared Ali  Riza  as  his  successor,  and  replaced  the 
black  banner  of  the  Abbassides  by  the  green  stan- 
dard of  the  Alides  (32). 

The  Caliph's  family  and  the  army  of  his  func- 
tionaries on  this  threatened  to  revolt,  and  Alma- 
mun  got  himself  out  of  the  difficulty  by  the  simple 
means  of  poisoning  his pivtege.  The  place  where 
the  Imam  perished,  Meshhed,  is  to  the  present  day 
the  great  resort  for  Persian  pilgrims  (33). 

The  three  Imams,  Mohammed,  Ali,  and  Hassan, 
next  succeeded  from  father  to  son,  and  each  of 
these  theoretical  rulers  of  the  Moslem  world  perish- 
ed in  turn  by  poison  (34).  Hassan  the  eleventh 
left  a  son,  Mohammed,  who  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death  was  six  years  old.  The  Caliph  kept 
this  child  a  prisoner  near  his  own  person,  in  the 
town  of  Ilillah ;  but  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
disappeared,  probably  also  by  the  agency  of  poison. 

The  direct  line  of  Imams  was  therefore  broken 


THE   MAHDI.  41 

for  ever ;  there  was  no  longer  liope  of  a  Malidi. 
But  the  logic  of  the  people  of  course  drew  the  con- 
clusion that  the  child  was  not  dead  but  hidden,  and 
that  he  would  return  when  he  chose,  being  the 
Master  of  Time.  Persian  engravings^  represent 
him  with  the  features  of  a  child,  holding  the  sacred 
book  in  his  hand,  seated  in  a  grotto  into  which  rajs 
of  light  are  penetrating  (35). 

For  a  long  time  there  were  members  of  the 
family  of  Ali  who  awoke  every  day  with  the  hope 
of  witnessing  the  reappearance  of  the  twelfth  Imam, 
the  last  lineal  descendant  of  Fatima,  whom  they 
called  the  expected  Fatimide.  ^'  They  go  forth 
from  their  villages  on  horseback  and  armed,"  says  a 
contemporary;  "thus  accoutred  they  go  to  meet 
their  Imam  ;  they  return  deceived  in  their  hopes, 
but  not  discouraged"  (36). 

At  Hillah,  near  Bagdad,  the  last  place  where  he 
was  seen,  a  mosque  was  erected,  over  the  door  of 
which  hung  a  silken  curtain.  This  was  where  he 
dwelt,  in  the  holy  of  holies;  it  was  "the  sanctuary 
of  the  Master  of  the  Hour."  Every  day  after  the 
midday  prayer,    a    hundred    horsemen,    sword   in 


*  A  copy  of  one  of  these  appears  as  the  frontispiece  of  this 
volume. 


42  THE   MAHDT. 

Land,  went  to  receive  from  the  commander  of  the 
town  a  horse  which  was  saddled  and  bridled,  and 
which  they  led  to  the  sanctuary  with  sound  of 
trumpets  and  drums.  When  arrived  at  the  door 
they  cried  out,  "  In  tlie  name  of  God,  O  Master 
of  the  Hour,  in  the  name  of  God,  come  forth ! 
For  corruption  has  appeared  and  great  is  wrong- 
doing." And  they  continued  thus  to  appeal  to 
him  to  the  sound  of  trumpets  until  the  time  of 
evening  prayer  (37).  The  Mahdi,  however,  did 
not  come  forth. 

At  last,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Alides  gained 
the  upper  hand  in  Persia.  A  sheikh,  who  pro- 
claimed himself  to  be  a  descendant  of  Musa,  the 
seventh  Imam,  founded  the  last  great  national 
dynasty  of  Persia,  the  dynasty  of  the  great  Sufi. 
But  the  Sufis,  though  Alides  by  birth,  only  regard- 
ed themselves  as  lieutenants  of  the  Imam,  the  pro- 
visional administrators  of  Iran.  As  long  as  the 
Imam  was  absent  thev  were  onlv  rulers  owing  to 
accident.  Thus  the  Sufi  did  not  call  himself 
"  Kino^  of  kinoes,"  but  ''  Slave  of  the  kino^  of  the 
country,"  and  even  still  more  humbly,  ''The  watch- 
dog at  the  gate  of  Ali."  The  true  king  of  Iran 
was  the  absent  Mahdi  (38).  In  their  palace  at 
Ispahan   the   Sufis   always  kept  two  horses  magnifi- 


THE   MAHDI.  43 

centl}^  liarnessed,  ready  to  receive  him  when  lie 
slionld  deign  to  take  once  more  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment. One  of  these  horses  was  for  the  Mahdi, 
the  otlier  for  liis  lieutenant,  Jesus  Christ  (39). 


44  THE  MAHDI. 


V. 


THE   MAHDI    IN    AFRICA. 

Hitherto  we  have  remained  in  the  East,  and 
have  only  witnessed  tlie  deceptions  and  checks  suf- 
fered by  the  Malidi.  Let  ns  now  turn  to  the  West, 
and  observe  some  of  his  triumphs. 

Two  Mahdis,  one  in  tlie  tenth  century  in  Egypt, 
the  other  in  tlie  twelfth  century  in  Morocco,  found- 
ed dynasties  which  have  left  their  name  in  history 
— the  first  was  that  of  the  Fatimides,  one  of  the 
most  glorious  dynasties  of  Islam,  which  lasted  three 
centuries ;  the  second  was  that  of  the  Almohades, 
the  conquerors  of  Spain. 

In  consequence  of  intestine  quarrels  among  the 
Alides,  a  powerful  sect  left  the  Imamians.  This 
was  the  sect  called  Ismaelis,  whence  came  later  that 
sect  well  knownjn  the  history  of  France,  the  Assas- 
sins, or  the  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain  (40).  A 
Persian  oculist  named  Abdallah,  the  son  of  Mei- 
moun   (41),  sworn  enemy  of  the  Arabs,  took  the 


THE   MAHDI.  45 

post  of  leader  of  the  party  of  which  he  made  a 
purely  philosophical  sect,  destroying  the  letter  of 
the  Koran  by  allegorical  interpretations. 

So  as  to  work  more  easily  on  the  credulity  of  the 
people,  he  pretended  that  he  came  of  the  race  of 
Ali,  and  sent  missionaries  to  Arabia  and  Africa  to 
preach  the  new  law,  and  announce  the  coming  of 
the  Mahdi.  The  Mahdi  delayed,  but  came  at  last 
in  the  person  of  his  grandson,  Obeid- Allah. 

Obeid-Allah  laid  claim  to  Northern  Africa,  where 
the  Berbers  bore  the  yoke  of  the  Arabs  and  of  or- 
thodoxy with  impatience,  and  where  the  missionary 
of  the  new  sect,  Abu-Abdallah,  had  preached  with 
marvellous  success,  both  by  word  and  sword.  He 
announced  that  the  Mahdi  was  about  to  appear,  to 
subjugate  the  earth,  revive  the  dead,  and  make  the 
sun  rise  from  the  west  (42).  The  Mahdi  coming  at 
the  call  of  his  apostle  was  arrested  at  Tripoli  and 
thrown  into  prison  by  the  governor  of  the  Aghla- 
bites,  the  local  dynasty,  vassal  of  the  Caliph  of  Bag- 
dad ;  nevertheless  his  lieutenant  continued  a  tri- 
umphal march,  expelled  the  Aghlabite  prince  and, 
in  the  absence  of  the  captive  Mahdi,  proclaimed 
God  as  re2:ent. 

For  several  months  the  coinage,  instead  of  bearing 
the  name  of  a  king,  was  stamped  with  these  words : 


46  THE   MAHDI. 

"I  have  accomplislied  the  testimony  of  God  ;  inny 
the  enemies  of  God  be  scattered  ;"  on  all  weapons 
he  had  eno^raved :  "  Arms  with  which  to  fio^ht  in 
the  canse  of  God  ;"  and  on  the  harness  of  horses : 
"To   God   belongs   the   kingdom."     Having   thus 

enthroned  the  Deity  during  this  interregnum,  he 
marched  on  the  town  where  His  terrestrial  repre- 
sentative was  imprisoned,  delivered  him,  made  him 
mount  on  horseback,  and  marching  before  him  with 
the  cliiefs  of  the  tribes,  said  to  the  people  with 
tears  of  joy  :  "Behold  your  master."  On  the  Fri-. 
da}^  following  he  had  his  name  proclaimed  in  public 
prayer  with  the  title  of  "  Mahdi,  prince  of  true  be- 
lievers." 

The  Mahdi  up  till  that  time  had  only  been  a  pas- 
sive conqueror,  but  he  soon  began  to  show  that  he 
could  be  active  also.  He  began  by  having  Abu- 
Abdallah  assassinated.  "  Stop,  my  son  !"  exclaimed 
Abu-Abdallah,  seizing  the  arm  of  his  murderer; 
the  man  replied,  "  He  whom  you  have  enjoined  us 
to  obey  has  ordered  us  to  slay  you."  Abu-Abdaljah 
had  only  succeeded  too  well  in  his  work  as  apostle. 
To  show  that  he  was  not  ungrateful,  the  Mahdi  him- 
self recited  the  prayers  for  the  dead  over  the  corpse 
of  his  benefactor. 

Some  people  still  doubted  Obeid- Allah  ;  the  sun 


THE   MAHDI.  47 

was  against  him,  and  witli  sceptical  obstinacy  con- 
tinued to  rise  in  the  east ;  then  the  Mahdi  had 
shown  perfectly  well  that  he  was  able  to  kill,  but 
had  not  yet  demonstrated  that  he  could  revive  the 
dead.  One  day  a  sheikh  dared  to  say  to  him,  "  If 
you  are  the  Mahdi,  perform  a  miracle,  for  Ave  doubt 
very  much  whether  you  are  what  you  give  yourself 
out  to  be."  The  Mahdi  replied  by  having  his  head 
cut  off.  It  was  not  a  miracle,  but  it  is  extremely 
doubtful  whether  any  miracle  could  have  served 
better  to  shut  the  mouth  of  the  incredulous ! 

The  Mahdi  required  a  capital,  but  he  did  not  care 
to  occupy  either  Tunis  or  Kairoan,  as  there  were  too 
many  Arabs  in  both  places,  and  he  did  not  feel  safe 
amono:  tliem.  He  traversed  the  coast  of  Tunis  and 
reached  a  peninsula  which  had  the  form  of  a  closed 
list.  There,  after  having  consulted  the  stars  as  to  a 
favorable  day  and  hour,  he  laid  the  foundation-stone 
of  a  city  over  which  the  French  flag  floats  to-day, 
but  which  still  bears  the  name  he  gave — Malidia — 
the  City  of  the  Mahdi. 

He  surrounded  it  with  a  strong  wall,  with  gates 
of  iron,  each  leaf  of  which  weighed  five  hundred- 
weight. In  the  hill  he  had  an  arsenal  constructed 
which  could  contain  a  hundred  galleys,  and  when 
the  town  was  finished,  he  cried:  "Now  I  am  reas- 


4o  THE   MAHDI. 

siired  as  to  the  fate  of  the  Fatimides.  T  have  built 
this  town  so  that  thej  may  take  refuge  here  for  a 
short  time." 

To  his  mind,  Mahdia  was,  in  verj^  fact,  only  a  pro- 
visional shelter:  the  Mahdi's  hopes  were  turned 
eastward  to  Egypt.  When  the  walls  of  his  town  had 
reached  their  full  height,  he  mounted  to  the  top  and 
fired  an  arrow  towards  the  west.  Soon  after'  his 
dominion  extended  to  the  Atlantic.  Then  it  had  to 
be  established  on  the  shores  of  the  Nile.  Ilis  third 
successor,  Moez-lidin-Allah,  sent  a  Greek  slave,  Jau- 
her,  to  conquer  Egypt  and  build  a  capital  city, 
which  he  called  "  The  Yictorious"  Cairo  (El  Kaliira). 
Syria  soon  experienced  the  fate  of  Egypt ;  and  even 
the  seat  of  the  Caliphat  was  for  a  short  time  in  the 
hands  of  the  descendant  of  the  Persian  oculist,  and 
his  name  resounded  in  the  Salvum  fac  at  Bagdad 
instead  of  that  of  the  Abbassides. 

The  Caliphs  of  Bagdad  made  war  against  tlieir 
fortunate  rivals  of  Cairo  with  the  pen  and  with  all 
the  weapons  of  theology,  making  their  sages  declare 
that  the  pretended  descendant  of  Ali  was  really  the 
son  of  a  Magus  and  of  a  Jewess ;  but  the  day  when 
the  Egyptian  Ulemas  received  Moez  and  asked  him 
for  proofs  of  his  lineage,  he  easily  convinced  them 
by  two  arguments.     Holding    the   pommel  of  his 


THE   MAHDI.  49 

sword  ill  his  hand,  lie  exclaimed:  "This  is  my  an- 
cestor !"  and  throwing  them  a  handful  of  gold,  he 
said,  "  Here  are  my  proofs  *'(43). 

JS^evertheless,  credulity  wore  itself  out  in  time. 
The  Prophet  had  not  declared  that  the  Mahdi  was 
to  become  a  source  of  terrestrial  kings — he  was  to 
have  come  to  announce  God.  God  must  come,  and 
so  the  seventh  Fatimide,  Hakim,  became  God. 
This  Hakim  was  a  sort  of  raving  madman,  by  turns 
a  bigoted  Mussulman  and  a  downright  atheist,  ac- 
cording to  the  theological  caprice  of  the  moment, 
and  according  to  whether  he  subscribed  to  the  letter 
of  the  Koran  or  to  the  symbolical  interpretation 
known  only  to  those  initiated  in  the  highest  degree. 
A  Persian  secretary  named  Darazi  came  to  preach 
to  him  that  he  was  the  Divine  incarnation,  and 
Hakim  believed  it  without  having  to  be  asked  to  do 
so  twice ;  but,  wonderful  to  relate.  Hakim  was  not 
the  only  person  who  believed  in  Hakim ;  quite  a 
church  formed  about  this  God  in  the  flesh,  and 
when  he  suddenly  disappeared,  three  years  after  his 
apotheosis,  having  probably  been  assassinated,  his 
followers  announced  that  he  would  reappear  in 
human  form  on  the  day  of  resurrection  to  pass  his 
judgments  by  the  sword.  He  was  to  appear  en- 
veloped as  in  a  veil,  Avith  a  multitude  of  angels. 


50  THE   MAHDI. 

among  squadrons  of  cberubims.  His  arrival  was  to 
be  preceded  bj  a  great  tumult  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
by  the  apparition  of  an  impostor  at  Cairo  (Arabi 
Pasha  ?),  by  earthquakes  (those  in  Spain  ?),  by  the 
triumph  of  the  Christians,  and  by  the  derision  into 
which  religion  shall  have  fallen. 

"  When  ye  see  among  you  faith  become  rare," 
cried  one  of  the  apostles,  "  pious  men  overwhelm- 
ed with  injuries  and  outrages ;  w^hen  religion  shall 
be,  against  the  will  of  those  who  have  remained 
faithful  to  it,  a  subject  for  mirth  in  the  mouths  of 
the  impure ;  when  it  shall  be  treated  as  a  paring  of 
the  nails  to  be  flung  far  away  ;  when  the  earth, 
great  as  it  is,  shall  seem  too  small  for  the  disciples 
of  truth,  who  cannot  find  in  it  a  place  of  safety ; 
then  may  ye  speedily,  O  ye  dregs  of  the  nations, 
expect  to  hear  the  cry  which  will,  be  the  signal  for 
your  defeat !  O  ye  remnant  of  the  worshippers  of 
the  calf  and  of  idols !"  (44). 

The  worship  of  Hakim  did  not  survive  its  god  in 
Egypt ;  but  it  has  lived  on  to  the  present  day  in  the 
mountains  of  Syria.  There  Darazi  left  disciples 
who  assumed  his  name,  and  the  descendants  of 
whom  we  now  call  the  Druzes,  who  still  wait  the 
return  of  Hakim,  the  Man-god. 

The  Berbers  of  Constantine  and  Tunis  had  their 


THE   MAHDI.  51 

Mahdi  at  the  time  of  the  founder  of  the  Fatimides ; 
two  centuries  later  came  one  to  the  Berbers  of 
Morocco.  A  man  of  the  tribe  of  Masmuda,  in  the 
Morocceen  Atlas,  named  Mohammed  ibn  Tumert, 
returned  from  the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  and  the 
schools  of  Bagdad  with  a  half-jDantheistic  system 
which  he  called  the  system  of  Unity,  or  almohade 
{ahmcvahhid)  system.  At  first  he  was  only  a  saint 
(they  all  begin  in  this  way),  so  severe  and  so  chaste 
in  his  habits  that  he  easily  persuaded  the  Barbers 
that  he  belonged  to  a  different  species  from  them- 
selves. 

He  soon  announced  the  coming  of  the  Mahdi, 
and  it  was  eagerly  expected.  Next  he  affirmed 
that  he  himself  was  the  Mahdi,  and  he  was  believed 
Miracles  were  demanded:  he  performed  them. 
For  example,  he  made  angels  speak  from  the  bot- 
tom of  a  well,  and  pronounce  sentence  of  death 
against  his  enemies,  who  were  immediately  exe- 
cuted by  his  followers.  Then,  without  losing  time, 
he  had  the  well  filled  up  to  guard  its  sanctity  from 
possible  pollution  in  the  future,  and  to  prevent  any 
indiscretion  on  the  part  of  his  angels. 

The  Mahdi  died  before  having  reaped  the  fruits 
of  his  miracles ;  his  disciple  and  successor,  Abd-al- 
Mumin,  profited  by  them,  and  after  having  inun- 


52  THE   MAHDI. 

dated  Morocco  with  a  torrent  of  Berbers,  passed 
into  Spain,  which  he  also  conquered;  hence  the  \l| 
dynasty  of  the  Almohades  under  which,  during  the 
whole  of  the  twelfth  century,  Spain  was  subjected 
to  a  wild  orthodoxy  unknown  during  the  Arab 
rule.  Averroes  had  to  go  into  exile.  "  In  our 
country,"  said  a  sage  of  the  time  with  much  pride, 
"  not  the  slightest  heresy  is  tolerated ;  we  will  have 
no  church,  no  synagogue"  (45). 

The  Almohades  succumbed  in  their  turn  ;  but 
the  Mahdi  fever  continued  to  rage  among  the 
Berbers  ;  it  was  epidemic  throughout  the  thirteenth 
century.  He  was  sought  at  the  extremities  of  the 
habitable  world.  At  Massa,  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
of  Morocco,  there  was'a  celebrated  convent  or  rihat ; 
not  far  from  there  dwelt  the  tribe  of  Guedala,  the 
men  of  which  covered  their  faces  with  a  veil  called 
the  litham^  which  only  allowed  the  eyes  to  appear, 
and  is  still  worn  by  the  Tuaregs.  The  idea  arose 
that  it  was  thence,  and  from  among  this  veiled 
people,  that  the  hidden  Imam,  the  long-expected 
Mahdi,  would  come  forth,  and  that  in  the  convent 
his  inauguration  would  take  place  (46).  More  than 
one  aspirant  came  to  the  ribat  to  leave  it  Mahdi 
and  perish  immediately  (47).  It  is  said  that  at  the 
present  moment  there  is  still  one  waiting  there  (48.) 


THE   MAHDI.  53 


YI. 

THE    MAHDI    IN    TURKEY. 

After  the  Persians  and  the  Berbers  let  us  turn 
to  the  Turks. 

The  Turks  were  not  Alides  ;  being  tlie  heirs  of 
the  Caliplis   of  Bagdad,   thej    were   and   still   are 
fanatically   orthodox.     A   passionate   hatred  ra^ed 
between  the  Persian  Shiites  and  the  Turkish  Sun- 
nites.     Thev  also  believed  that  the  Mahdi  was  to 
appear  at  the  end  of  time  supported   bv  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  heavenly  spirits,  ''The  men  of  God, 
the  Eidjal  Allah,''  to  summon  all  the  peoples  of 
the  earth  to  the  knowledge  of  Islam  ;  but  they  took 
their  precautions  against  him,  for  they  knew  very 
well  that  they  were  not  of  the  blood  of  Mahomet, 
that  they  were  interlopers  in  the  Caliphat,  and  had 
only  entered  it  by  main  force.     Hence  thev  souo-lit 
to  isolate  the  Mahdi  from  the  world,  and  cut  every 
bond  between  him  and  the  human  race.    The  thirty- 
fourth  article  of  the  Turkish  creed  was  that  "  the 


54  THE   MAHDI. 

Imam  ought  to  be  visible,  that  he  must  not  hide 
from  tlie  public  gaze,  nor  be  the  object  of  its  expec- 
tation "  (49).  In  Turkey,  therefore,  there  was  no  |) 
room  for  a  hidden  Imam,  an  absent  Hakim,  or  an 
^'  expected  Fatimide."  They  have  declared  quite 
recently,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  that  the  Mahdi 
can  only  apj^ear  in  a  time  of  interregnum,  Avhen  the 
Caliph  has  died  without  an  acknowledged  successor, 
a  very  conservative  theory  and  a  most  reassuring 
one  for  the  Sultan  on  the  throne.  But  when  people 
will  have  a  Messiah,  not  all  the  sermons  of  all  the 
theologists  in  the  world  will  prevent  them  from 
manufacturing  one  (50). 

The  most  celebrated  of  Turkish  Mahdis  made  his 
appearance  in  1666,  under  Mohammed  TV. — the 
Sultan  who  very  nearly  took  Vienna.  That  year 
there  was  a  Messianic  eruption,  which  began  among 
the  Jews.  The  Cabala  announced  the  arrival  of  the 
Messiah  for  that  year:  he  appeared  at  the  appointed 
time.  He  was  a  young  man  from  Smja-na,  of  ex- 
treme personal  beauty,  very  eloquent,  and  inspired, 
to  all  seeming,  with  divine  fervor;  his  name  was 
Sabbatai  Zevi.  All  the  Turkish  rabbis  acknowl- 
edged him,  and  proselytes  came  to  him  from  Ger- 
many, Amsterdam,  and  London ;  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  was   about  to   be  re-established,  the  reign  of 


THE   MAHDI.  55 

God  to  commence,  and  the  New  Jerusalem  to 
descend  upon  earth. 

The  Mussulman  world  also  was  stirred.  The 
arrival  of  the  Mahdi  was  to  be  preceded  and  an- 
nounced by  that  of  the  Antichrist,  of  the  false 
prophet  Deddjal ;  hence  as  the  Jewish  Messiah  had 
come  the  Mahdi  would  soon  appear.  An  eclipse  of 
the  moon,  which  stopped  the  troops  who  were  ready 
to  embark  for  Crete,  proved  that  the  time  had  come, 
and  then  it  was  suddenly  announced  that  the  Mahdi 
liad  appeared.  This  was  the  son  of  a  Kurdistan 
sheikh  who  had  put  himself  at  the  head  of  some 
thousands  of  Kurds ;  but  he  was  taken  and  sent  to 
the  Sultan.  The  Sultan  was  huntinoj  when  the 
Mahdi  was  presented  to  him.  He  questioned  him, 
and  the  young  man,  renouncing  his  part,  answered 
with  such  good  grace  that  the  Sultan  was  delighted 
with  him  and  retained  him  as  page. 

Some  time  afterwards  Sabbatai  being  denounced 
as  an  impostor  by  a  rabbi  whose  proffered  services 
as  vicar  of  the  Messiah  he  had  refused,  had  also  to 
be  summoned  before  the  Sultan,  and,  to  the  great 
scandal  of  his  followers,  was  obliged  to  employ  an 
interpreter  in  order  to  answer  the  questions  put  to 
him ;  emotion  had  apparently  made  him  lose  the 
supernatural  knowledge  of  all  tongues  which   he 


66  THE   MAHDI. 

ought  to  liave  possessed.  Matters  became  worse 
when  the  Sultan  had  him  stripped  and  bound  to  a 
tariret,  and  offered  himself  to  become  a  convert  if 
the  arrows  shot  at  him  should  leave  his  body  scath- 
less.  Sabbatai  declined  the  ordeal,  accepted  the 
turban,"  and  obtained  a  post  as  one  of  the  w^arders 
of  the  harem.  Thus  the  Sultan  had  the  honor  of 
being  served  by  the  Antichrist  as  doorkeeper,  and 
the  Mahdi  as  valet.  In  spite  of  this  protection, 
however,  he  was  strangled  by  his  janissaries  a  few 
years  later  according  to  Ottoman  custom  (51). 


*  To  put  on  the  turban  is  the  sign  of  conversion  to  the  faith 
of  Islam. — A.  S.  B. 


mm 


THE  MAHDI.  67 


YII. 

•I 

THE   MAHDI   IN   EGYPT. 

We  may  pass  ovei*  the  eigliteentli  century,  which 
was  not  very  fertile  in  Mahdis.  The  Mahdi  slept 
in  the  East  just  as  Christ  slept  in  the  West ;  he 
awoke  in  Egypt  at  the  French  conquest  in  May, 
1799.  It  is  not  likely  that  this  Mahdi  belongs  to 
the  old  Alide  movement  of  Fatimite  Egypt,  for  he 
was  supported  b}'  Turkey,  which  supplied  him  with 
English  money.  This  Mahdi,  whose  I'eal  name  is 
unknown,  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  de- 
cided impostors  of  his  kind.  He  came  from  Tripoli, 
where  he  had  descended  from  heaven  ;  his  descent, 
however,  was  made  in  the  desert,  so  that  the  miracle 
had  but  few  spectators.  He  was  very  lavish  with 
his  money — money  which  had  also  fallen  from 
heaven,  but  which,  curiously  enough,  was  marked 
with  the  Sultan's  stamp.  His  body,  although  visi- 
ble, was  immaterial.  Every  day  at  the  hour  of 
prayer  before  the  assembled  people  he  dipped  his 


08  THE   MAHDI. 

fingers  into  a  bowl  of  milk,  and  passed  them  across 
his  lips  ;  this  was  all  the  nourishment  he  took.  At 
Damanhonr  he  surprised  and  slaughtered  sixty  men 
belonging  to  the  navy ;  and  by  throwing  a  little 
dust  towards  the  French  guns  he  prevented  the 
powder  from  exploding,  and  caused  tlie  balls  to  fall 
harmless  before  the  true  believers.  But  Lefebvre, 
the  French  Brigadier-General,  marched  against  him 
with  four  hundred  men.  "Assailed  by  a  cloud  of 
Arabs,"  wrote  Bonaparte  in  a  report  to  the  Direc- 
tory, ''he  ranged  his  men  in  a  square,  and  all  day 
lonj^r  he  continued  killino;  the  madmen  who  threw 
themselves  upon  our  cannon,  unable  to  rid  them- 
selves of  the  delusion  under  which  they  labored.  It 
was  not  till  night  that  these  fanatics,  when  they 
counted  their  dead  (there  were  more  than  a  thou- 
sand) and  their  wounded,  began  to  understand  tliat 
God  no  longer  performs  iniracles^  (52). 

When  his  alarmed  and  shocked  partisans  showed 
him  their  dead  and  wounded,  the  Mahdi  replied  that 
only  those  are  invulnerable  who  have  an  entire 
faith.  Apparently  he  himself  was  not  one  of  these, 
for  in  a  skirmish  a  ball  which  laid  him  dead  marked 
him  out  as  an  unbeliever ;  but  his  more  faithful 
followers  concluded  that  he  had  considered  it  better 
to  fight  from  the  heights  of  heaven  whence  lie  had 


THE   MAHDI.  59 

come,  and  they  looked  for  his  return.  He  did  not 
return,  but  the  Frencli  went  awav,  wliich  amounted 
to  very  much  the  same  thing,  and  vindicated  tlie 
honor  of  the  Mahdi. 


60  THE   MAHDI. 


YIII. 

THE   MAHDI    IN   THE    SOUDAN. 

We  have  now  reached  the  Mahcli  of  Soudan 
celebrity.  The  time  has  not  yet  come  to  write  his 
liistory,  for  lie  has  first  to  accomplish  and  end  it. 
Concerning  the  man  personally  we  have  only  two 
authentic  documents.  One  is  the  letter  of  a  French- 
man born  in  the  Soudan,  who  saw  him  at  Khartoum 
— M.  Mousa  Peney,  son  of  Dr.  Peney,  one  of  the 
bravest  of  explorers  in  the  Soudan,  the  first  Euro- 
pean who  had  ever  visited  Gondokoro.  The  only 
fault  to  find  with  this  is  that  it  sometimes  sins  on 
the  side  of  over-precision  (53).  The  other,  which 
dives  into  the  verv  souls  of  the  heroes  of  the  drama, 
is  the  report  of  a  consultation  of  the  Ulemas  of  El 
Azhar  Mosque  at  Cairo,  of  whicli  M.  Clermont 
Ganneau,  the  well-known  Orientalist,  has  kindly 
communicated  his  own  translation  to  the  author. 
The  followino;  is  derived  from  these  two  sources: 

The  name  of  the  Mahdi  is  Mohammed  Ahmed. 
He  was  born  at  Dongola,   about  the  year  of  the 


The  Mahdi. 


^ 


THE   MAHDL  61 

Heofira  1260,  1843  of  our  era.  His  father's  name 
was  Abdallahi,  and  his  mother's  Aniina  (54). 

These  details,  of  little  apparent  significance  to  us, 
are  of  the  greatest  importance  to  Mussulmans.  A 
tradition,  which  is  really  very  ancient  and  attributed 
to  Mahomet,  declares  that  the  Malidi  shall  bear  the 
same  name  as  the  Prophet,  and  that  the  father  of 
the  Mahdi  shall  have  the  same  name  as  the  Prophet's 
father  (55).  Now,  the  Prophet's  name  was  Moham- 
med Ahmed,  his  father's  Abdallah,  and,  what  is 
more,  his  mother  was  called  Amina.  Forty  years  is 
the  age  of  prophecy  among  the  Mussulmans,  be- 
cause it  was  at  that  age  that  Mahomet  revealed 
himself. 

The  Mahdi's  name  and  those  of  his  parents  seem 
to  point  to  the  fact  that  he  was  born  in  the  midst  of 
people  disposed  to  fervor  and  prophecy,  an  heredi- 
tary genius.  Moreover,  from  his  childhood,  Mo- 
hammed showed  that  he  had  a  decided  vocation; 
at  twelve  years  old  he  knew  the  Koran  by  heart. 
When  his  father  died,  his  two  elder  brothers,  who 
w^ere  boat-builders  on  the  White  Nile,  seeing  that 
he  had  talent,  supplied  his  wants,  and  provided  him 
with  means  to  study  under  two  professors  of  repute 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Khartoum,  Abdel  Dagim 
and  El  Gourachi. 


G2  THE   MAHDI. 

AYhen  twenty-five  3^ears  old,  having  finislied  liis 
jjtiidies,  and  his  mothei*  being  dead,  he  settled  down 
near  the  place  where  liis  brothers  worked,  in  the 
Island  of  Aba,  a  little  island  then  unknown,  but  now 
historical  in  Europe  and  sacred  in  Africa.  Tliere 
he  lived  in  a  very  retired  way  for  fifteen  years,  the 
fifteen  years  which  Mahomet  had  spent  in  medita- 
tion near  Mount  Harra.  His  career  was  evidently 
foreshadowed  by  that  of  the  Prophet.  Strauss  says 
that  the  life  of  Jesus  is  a  projection  cast  by  the 
popular  imagination  from  the  ancient  prophecies  of 
Israel.  The  life  of  the  Mahdi  is  a  patent  illustra- 
tion of  this  theory,  the  Mahdi  being  but  the  living 
reflection  of  Mahomet. 

He  lived  in  a  hole  in  the  ground,  and  grew  thin 
from  privations  and  frequent  fasting,  continually 
mourning  over  the  corruption  of  men.  The  neigh- 
boring tribe  of  Beggaras,  the  most  powerful  in  this 
region  of  the  Nile,  venerated  him  as  a  saint,  and 
felt  assured  that  the  breath  of  God  was  upon  him ; 
so  when  the  hour  of  prophecy  was  told,  and  the 
fortieth  year  began,  when  he  rose  up  Mahdi,  the 
Beggaras  without  any  difficulty  passed  from  venera- 
tion to  adoration,  and  he  became  that  phenomenon 
— a  prophet  in  his  own  country. 

Moreover,  was  not  the  fatal  year  approaching,  the 


THE   MAHDI.  63 

year  1300  of  the  Hegira,  which  a  modern  tradition 
assigns  for  the  final  triumph  of  Islam  ?  Mohammed 
sent  out  numbers  of  missionaries  to  the  sheiklis  of 
the  various  tribes,  announcing  that  he  was  the  long- 
expected  Mahdij  that  Mahomet  had  come  from  God 
to  tell  him  tliat  the  Turkish  dominion  was  about  to 
end,  that  the  Soudan  was  to  rise  on  every  side,  and 
that  he  himself,  after  having  passed  the  necessary 
time  in  the  Soudan,  was  to  go  up  to  Mecca  to  be 
acknowledged  by  the  great  Sheriff. 

His  emissaries  had  been  preaching  these  things 
for  about  a  year  without  anything  being  known  of 
them  at  Khartoum,  although  it  was  only  three  days' 
journey  from  the  sacred  island.  Kaouf  Pacha,  the 
Governor-General,  when  at  last  he  was  informed  of 
the  true  state  of  affairs,  sent  two  hundred  men  to 
Aba  to  seize  the  Malidi.  Overtaken  by  rain  and 
sinking  into  deep  mud  at  each  step,  in  the  depths 
of  the  forest,  the  men,  it  is  said,  at  last  arrived  at 
midnight  at  the  hut  of  the  Prophet,  round  whicli 
a  band  of  dervishes  w^ere  dancing,  repeating  the 
sacred  name  of  Allah. 

The  adjutant-major  fired  and  killed  one  of  the 
dervishes,  and  immediately  the  whole  band  howling 
with  rage  fell  upon  the  soldiers,  their  cries  being 
repeated  by  thousands  of  Arabs  who  had  established 


1 


64  THE  MAHDI. 


themselves  in    the  forest.      In  a  few  seconds   tliel 
wliole    troop,   including    its   officers,    was    cut    tol 
pieces.     This  was  the  first  spark  of  the  great  fire 
which  is  now  raging  in  the  basin  of  the  Nile.     It 
was  in  August,  1881. 

The  Mahdi,  retiring  with  his  dervishes  to  Mount 
Gadir,  commenced  new  efforts.  The  Soudan  began 
to  be  affected.  The  temporary  governor,  the  Ba- 
varian Giegler  Pacha,  concentrated  the  garrisons  of 
Sennaar,  Fachoda,  and  Kordofan,  with  the  view  of 
leadincr  them  ao^ainst  the  Mahdi,  not  for  a  moment 
imagining  that  the  provinces  whicli  he  left  ungar- 
risoned  by  this  step  would  immediately  revolt. 

Seven  thousand  men  sent  to  Mount  Gadir  were  at- 
tacked by  fifty  thousand  insurgents,  commanded  by 
the  Mahdi's  two  brothers,  Mohammed  and  Hamed. 
The  two  brothers  perished,  but  of  the  Egyptian 
army  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  escaped. 

During  this  time  Sennaar  revolted,  and  El-Obeid 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Mahdi,  v/ho  made  it  his 
capital  on  the  17th  of  January,  1883.  On  the  otli 
of  November,  in  the  same  year,  the  army  marching 
to  the  rescue  under  Hicks  Pacha  was  destroyed,  or 
w^ent  over  to  the  camp  of  the  Mahdi.  We  know 
what  followed. 


THE  MAHDI.  65 


IX. 

MOHAIklMED    AHMED   AND    HIS    EIVALS. 

Many  explanations  of  the  success  of  the  Mahdi 
liave  been  sought.  Some  say  he  is  a  genius.  Per- 
liaps  he  is ;  but  that  is  not  in  itself  sufficient.  He 
really  does  not  seem  to  be  an  ordinary  man.  A  deep 
and  sincere  conviction  is  required  to  act  upon  the 
masses  as  he  has  done,  more  especially  as  he  does 
not  rely  upon  the  magic  of  mystery,  but  shows  him- 
self to  all.  When  his  quarters  were  at  El-Obeid, 
the  Irishman  O'Kelly  remarks  (56),  he  went  to  the 
mosque,  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  his  sandals  on 
his  feet,  and  his  whole  dress  consisting  of  a  shirt 
and  drawers  made  of  coarse  cloth.* 

His  strategy  is  elementary,  but  it  is  that  which 
the  country  requires:  no  assaults  on  fortified  towns, 
which  are  merely  to  be  surrounded  until  famine 
opens  their  gates ;  no  great  battles,  but  a  constant 

*  See  Note  69  and  Appendix  A. — A.  S.  B. 


G6  THE   MAHDI. 

liamssing  of  the  enemy,  siiiTOunding  liim  from  a  dis- 
tance, then,  when  he  is  exhausted,  swooping  down 
on  him  with  all  forces  united  to  make  an  end  of 
the  affair. 

Whether  he  follows  the  advice  of  European  ad- 
venturers or  acts  on  his  own  opinions,  the  success 
with  which  he  has  met  has  justified  his  plan  of 
warfare  up  till  the  present.  Two  facts  seem  to  in- 
dicate that  he  is  relatively  honest  and  humane;*  he 
performs  few  miracles  (57),  and  he  makes  prisoners 

(58). 

Eecent  news  from  the  seat  of  war  indicates  that 
he  is  a  cultivated  specimen  of  Mussulman  politician. 
The  messengers  sent  by  him  to  neutral  or  hostile 
tribes,  to  summon  them  to  join  him  on  pain  of 
extermination,  ai"e  accompanied  by  Ulemas  charged 
to  convince  them  of  the  mission  of  the  Malidi,  and 
of  the  supreme  duty  to  join  him  which  is  incum- 
bent  on   them.     Many  who   are   insensible  or  re- 


*  This  latter  epithet  can  however  hardly  be  applied  to  some 
of  his  followers.  The  special  correspondent  of  The  Lancet 
writing  from  the  base  -  hospital  camp  near  Suakin,  under 
date  March  23d,  1885,  after  describing  the  character  of  the 
wounds  inflicted  on  our  soldiers,  said:  "No  man  unhorsed  in 
tight  ever  escapes  the  fury  of  these  ruffians,  nor  lives  to  tell 
the  tale  of  a  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  their  active  and 
brave  but  relentless  foes."    (See  Lancet,  April  \\.)--h-  S.  B, 


THE   MAHDI.  67 

bellious  to  threats  come  from  tlie  tlieolofirical  dis- 
cussion  ready  to  die  the  death  of  martyrs  to  his 
cause.  The  tribal  jealousies  which  counterbalance 
liatred  of  Christianity  will  weigh  light  in  one  scale, 
if  in  the  other  they  see  the  authority  of  the  Koran 
added  to  the  weight  of  the  victorious  sword  (59). 

Others  believe  him  to  be  a  mere  tool  in  the  hands 
of  the  great  slave- merchants  of  the  Upper  Nile, 
who  are  menaced  in  their  hideous  traffic  by  Euro- 
pean civilization.  But  this  is  to  be  too  precise  in  pol- 
itics; the  Mahdi  may  have  the  slave-merchants  on 
his  side,  but  the  slaves  are  also  for  him.  The  rising 
of  the  Mahdi  is  the  natural  and  leo^itimate  reaction 
of  the  Soudan,  wdiether  for  or  against  slavery, 
against  the  worst  of  oppressions,  that  which  presents 
itself  with  all  the  hypocrisies  of  civilization. 

Civilization  introduced  into  a  half-savage  country 
is  a  dano^erous  thins:  even  in  the  hands  of  Euro- 
peans ;  we  can  hardly  imagine  what  it  may  become 
in  the  hands  of  Egyptian  Pachas,  Arabs,  or  Turks, 
steeped  in  bureaucracy. 

The  Egyptian  conquest  of  the  Soudan  was  doubt- 
less beneficial  for  the  West,  for  our  science  and 
commerce ;  but  for  the  peoples  of  the  Soudan  it 
was  hell  upon  earth.  The  Egyptian  conquest  was 
the  monopoly  of  slavery  for  the  benefit  of  the  Khe- 


68  THE   MAHDI. 

dive's  people.  Our  hero,  Gordon,  appointed  Gov- 
ernor of  tlie  Soudan,  saw  the  intimate  workings  of 
Egyptian  civilization,  and  twice  he  resigned  his  post 
in  horror  and  disgust. 

Further,  the  war-crv  of  the  Mahdi  is  not  "  Down 
with  the  Christians  !"  bnt  ''  Down  with  the  Turks !" 
That  is  to  say,  down  with  the  false  Moslems  of 
Cairo !  The  word  Turk  is  nsed  habitually  in  the 
Soudan,  because  in  the  Island  of  Aba  people  are 
not  familiar  with  the  changes  which  take  place  in 
the  dictionar}^  of  politics,  and  they  are  ignorant  that 
the   Turk  of   Constantinople    no   longer   rules   in 

Egypt- 
Howe  ver  this  may  be,  the  Tui'k,  who  still  thinks 

himself  sovereign,  took  fright.  The  Soudan,  more- 
over, is  not  the  only  place  where  a  Mahdi  is  to  be 
dreaded  ;  on  the  other  side  of  the  Ked  Sea  there  is 
another  volcano — Arabia.  The  Arabs  of  Arabia 
have  certainly  been  cold  to  him  hitherto ;  but  the 
reason  of  this  may  easily  be  conceived  ;  for  if  there 
is  a  place  which  has  a  right  to  claim  the  honor  of 
giving  the  Mahdi  to  the  world,  it  is  Mecca,  and 
each  Sheriff  who  prides  himself  on  being  descended 
from  Fatima  savs  in  his  heart  of  hearts,  "  Who 
knows?     Perhaps  I  may  be  the  man  !" 

During  the  pilgrimage  of  1882,  a  Mahdi  was  ex- 


THE   MAHDI.  69 

pected  at  Mecca.  The  -Tiirkisli  police  was  on  its 
guard,  and  informed  the  notables  of  the  citj  that 
something  unpleasant  might  happen  to  them  if  he 
did  appear,  and  the  Messiah  remained  discreetly  in 
the  background. 

JS^evertheless,  a  curious  fact  proves  to  what  an 
extent  the  atmosphere  of  Arabia,  without  distinc- 
tion of  religion  or  race,  is  impregnated  with  Mes- 
sianic vapors.  A  hundred  Jewish  families  of  Ye- 
men, after  traversing  the  whole  of  that  immense 
peninsula,  arrived  at  Jerusalem  a  few  months  ago, 
having  been  urged  thither  by  the  report  that  the 
Messiah  had  appeared  !  They  found  at  Sion,  instead 
of  the  Messiah,  the  Turk,  misery,  and  famine. 
They  lodged  in  caverns  at  the  foot  of  the  holy 
mountain,  and  set  up  their  tents  on  the  ground  at 
the  feet  of  its  olive-trees.  The  European  consuls 
interceded  for  them,  and  had  some  houses  built  for 
them  on  the  Mount  of  Offence  *  (60). 

If  we  remember  that,  in  Mussulman  theology,  the 
Messiah  heralds  the  Mahdi,  this  Jewish  exodus  is 
full  of  significance  as  to  the  ideas  current  in  Arabia 

*  The  Mount  of  Offence  or  Scandal  is  the  most  southern 
part  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  has  been  fixed  upon  as  the 
place  where  Solomon  raised  altars  for  his  idolatrous  wives. — 
S.  A.  B. 


70  THE    MAHDI. 

at  *the  i^resent  time.  Hence  the  Mahdi,  aware  of 
these  things,  is  anxious  to  visit  Mecca,  and  this  is 
the  reason  for  his  having  announced,  as  the  last  act 
of  his  programme,  that  he  proposes  to  go  thither  to 
be  acknowledged  by  the  great  Sheriff.  This  is  why 
Osman  Digna  (61)  is  so  desirous  of  retaining  Sua- 
kin ;  unfortunately  for  him,  the  English  fleet  bars 
the  way  to  the  holy  city.  It  is  the  sea,  this  time, 
which  says  to  the  man,  "  Non  amjMus  ihis.^^ 

Another  Mahdi  who  was  an  important  personage 
until  the  great  victories  of  Mohammed,  but  whose 
star  has  since  been  on  the  wane,  is  the  Mahdi  of  the 
Senussis.  This  sect  was  founded  hardly  more  than 
forty  years  ago  by  an  Algerian  of  Mostaganem,  and 
is  dominant  at  the  present  time  in  Tripoli  and  the 
Tripolitan  Soudan,  extending  its  branches  even  to 
the  Atlantic,  to  Bagdad  (62). 

Senussi,  a  man  of  considerable  foresight,  had  mar- 
ried a  Sheriffa,  that  is  to  say,  a  woman  of  the  race 
of  Ali,  and  had  given  his  son  the  name  of  El-Mahdi. 
On  this  son  the  eyes  of  all  the  Senussis  were  fixed. 
He  had  attained  the  age  of  forty — the  prophetic 
age.  It  is  said  among  the  Arabs  that  the  Sultan, 
who  felt  a  little  uncomfortable,  wi'ote  to  him,  say- 
ing, "  There  is  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  thee.  Who 
art  thou?    If  thou  art  the  Mahdij  let  us  know^  so 


THE   MAHDI.  VI 

that  ill  the  name  of  God  we  maj  aid  thee  to  accom- 
]ih'sh  tlie  divine  mission  which  has  been  confided  to 
tliee."  The  Mahdi  prudently  replied,  "  I  am  jonr 
servant ;  but  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean."  In 
the  mean  w^hile  the  Mahdi  of  Tripoli  and  the  Mahdi 
of  the  Soudan  sat  looking  at  each  ether,  like  two 
china  dogs  on  a  farm-house  mantelpiece.  At  the 
beginning  of  last  year  the  Mahdi  of  Jahrboub 
denounced  him  of  the  Soudan,  to  the  indignation 
of  the  faithful,  as  an  impostor  and  a  liar. 

Durino-  this  time  the  true  Mahdi  revealed  him- 
self,  as  a  Mahdi  ought  to  do,  by  victory.  The 
Sultan,  growing  more  and  more  uneasy,  made  a 
trial  of  those  theological  weapons  wdiicli  nine  centu- 
ries ago  had  brought  such  poor  success  to  his  prede- 
cessors of  Bagdad  against  the  Fatimide  Mahdi. 
He  consulted  the  Ulemas  of  El-Azhar,  the  greatest 
university  of  the  Mussulman  w^orld,  as  to  the  value 
of  the  pretensions  of  this  "  person  wdio  has  revolted 
against  the  authority  of  the  Caliph  of  God  on  earth, 
who  alone  has  power  to  bind  and  to  release."  The 
letter  in  which  the  Sultan  consulted  them  gave  the 
resume  of  a  circular  letter  sent  by  the  Mahdi  to  the 
tribes  of  Suakin,  the  commentarv  on  which  were 
the  battles  between  General  Graham  and  Osman 
Digna. 


72  THE   MAHDI, 

After  the  usual  benedictions  on  the  name  of 
Allah,  on  Mahomet  and  his  family,  and  after  nu- 
merous quotations  from  the  Koran,  and  traditions 
which  command  a  holy  war  and  forbid  tlie  faithful 
to  make  friends  with  the  enemies  of  the  Most 
High,  he  claimed  for  himself  the  Supreme  Calij^hat, 
a  claim  which,  he  said,  was  supported  by  a  revela- 
tion from  the  Most  High.  Mahomet  came  to  in- 
form him  that  he  was  the  long-expected  Mahdi, 
and  made  him  sit  on  his  throne  in  the  presence  of 
the  Caliphs,  the  spiritual  chiefs,  and  Khidr  (the 
Mahometan  representativ^e  of  the  Jewish  and  Chris- 
tian prophet  Elijah).  God  then  promised  him  the 
assistance  of  the  angels  who  surrounded  him,  of  the 
faithful  Djinns,  and  of  all  the  prophets  and  saints 
who  have  ever  existed,  from  the  time  of  Adam  to 
the  present  moment.  At  the  hour  of  battle  the 
Lord  promised  him  to  appear  in  person  with  them 
at  tlie  head  of  liis  army ;  the  Lord  gave  liini  the 
sword  of  victory,  with  the  formal  promise  that  none 
should  vanquisli  liim,  even  if  the  Djinns  should 
unite  with  men  against  liim.  Besides  this,  God 
gave  him  two  other  signs  of  his  mission — one  a 
l)eauty-spot  on  the  right  cheek  (63),  the  other  the 
standard  of  lights  to  be  borne  at  the  hour  of  battle 
by  the  Angel  Azrael  (64).     The  Prophet  said  to 


THE   MAHDI.  73 

him  also,  "  Of  the  light  of  my  heart  art  thou  cre- 
ated "  (65).  Whoever  believes  in  him  will  be  very 
happy,  and  have  allotted  to  him  a  place  near  God 
like  that  of  Abd-el-Kader  Ghilani  {6Q);  whoever 
opposes  him  shall  be  considered  an  infidel,  an  out- 
cast in  this  world  and  the  next,  and  shall  see  his 
children  and  his  fortune  a  prey  to  the  Moslem. 
The  Prophet  concluded  by  announcing  the  fall  of 
those  infidels,  and  worse  than  infidels,  the  Turks, 
because  they  strive  to  extinguish  the  light  of  the 
Most  High  God. 

The  Ulemas  gave  the  reply  which  was  evidently 
desired,  and  endeavored  to  crush  the  pretensions 
of  the  Mahdi  with  an  overpowering  weight  of 
arguments  and  quotations ;  but,  curiously  enough, 
they  seemed  not  to  dream  of  doubting  the  miracles 
which  he  announced  as  facts.  They  accepted  all 
his  premises,  only  contesting  his  conclusions — a 
very  dangerous  procedure  from  a  logical  point  of 
view.  In  their  honor  be  it  said,  liowever,  that  the 
authority  of  the  beauty-spot  did  not  really  impose 
upon  them,  for  they  profoundly  remarked  that 
there  are  many  people  who  bear  this  ornament 
quite  modestly  on  their  cheeks  without  holding  it 
forth  as  a  reason  for  tliem  to  a  claim  a  mission 
from   on   high.     The  standard   of   light   borne  by 


74  THE   MAHDI. 

Azrael  seemed  to  puzzle  tliem  more,  and  tlie  iiatu-^ 
ral  question  arises  what  that  standard  of  light  is. 
Of  this  we  know  nothing,  but  the  Ulemas  were 
apparently  familiar  Avith  its  nature.  They  con- 
tented themselves  with  the  observation  that  a  man 
through  whose  means  a  miracle  is  performed  is  not 
necessarily  a  prophet,  and  that  miracles  may  even 
take  place  through  the  agency  of  the  impious:  for 
example,  apparently,  those  daily  wonders  of  the 
unfaithful,  railways,  the  telegraph,  dynamite,  etc. 
They  argued  for  a  long  time  as  to  whether  Ma- 
homet had  appeared  to  him  awake  or  asleep,  but 
concluded  that  however  that  mav  have  been,  he 
had  certainly  not  brought  him  a  revelation  which 
was  contrary  to  the  very  law  of  Maliomet;  for  the 
true  Mahdi,  according  to  the  orthodox  tradition, 
ought  to  appear  at  a  time  of  trouble,  at  the  death 
of  a  Caliph,  when  the  people  should  not  know 
whom  to  appoint  in  his  stead,  which  was  not  the 
case  at  that  moment.  Further,  he  was  not  to 
appear  in  the  Soudan,  but  in  Arabia ;  not  to  pro- 
claim himself  Mahdi,  but  to  be  proclaimed  Mahdi 
in  spite  of  himself :  for,  according  to  the  most 
authentic  traditions,  the  Mahdi  was  to  be  a  man 
from  Medina,  who,  reversing  the  IlegirO^  of  Ma- 

*  The  Flight.— A.  S.  B. 


THE   MAHDI.  75 

hornet,  sliould  flee  to  Mecca  and  be  proclaimed  in 
spite  of  liiniself  between  tlie  black  stone  at  the 
i  Caaba,  and  the  standing-place  of  Abraham  (67). 

This  tradition,  which  was  most  reassuring  to  tlie 
powers  that  were,  according  to  the  Ulemas  refuted 
the  pretensions  of  the  false  prophet,  "with  a  clear- 
ness comparable  to  that  of  the  stars." 

The  terrible  accusation  of  infidelity,  hurled  against 
those  who  should  deny  the  Mahdi,  should  be  turned 
against  him  himself,  for  he  denounced  and  massa- 
cred the  faithful,  forgetting  that  it  is  a  less  heinous 
crime  to  leave  a  thousand  infidels  alive  than  to  slay 
one  of  the  faithful,  "an  unheard-of  and  revolting 
atrocity  which  angers  God  and  His  Prophet,  and 
realizes  the  hopes  of  Satan."  The  words  of  the 
Prophet  on  the  subject  of  heretics  apply  to  the 
false  Mahdi  and  his  followers :  "  They  are  the 
worst  of  my  people  who  slay  the  best  of  my  peo- 
ple." Hence,  any  one  who  associates  with  him  by 
act  or  word  will  be  associated  with  him  at  the  Last 
Judgment.  The  Prophet  has  said, "  Discord  sleeps ; 
mav  God  curse  him  who  awakens  her !" 

A  month  after  this  consultation  Hicks  Pacha's 
army  was  exterminated,  and  many  of  those  who  had 
agreed  with  the  above  conclusion  began  to  have 
doubts  of  the  value  of  their  arguments.     The  events 


76  THE   MAHDI.  i  ] 

which  followed  later,  the  taking  of  Khartoum  and 
the  death  of    Gordon,   ended    many  a  doubt  and  f, 
much  resistance.     The  death  of  Gordon  was  even 
more  striking  than  the  taking  of  Kliartoum,  for  it 
was  an  event  predicted  in  the  Messianic  programme. 

It  seems  as  if  Gordon  plaj'ed,  and  still  plajs,  a 
superhuman  part  in  the  imagination  of  the  Mahdi's 
followers.  To  us  Gordon  is  only  a  hero,  perhaps 
the  last  hero  of  Puritan  Christianity,  one  of  Mil- 
ton's heroes  who  has  lost  his  way  among  the  in- 
trigues of  the  nineteenth  century;  to  the  Arabs 
Gordon  is  Christianity  itself,  the  mighty  incarna- 
tion of  evil  and  of  error,  which  they  contemplate 
with  a  mixture  of  terror,  awe,  and  hatred. 

The  English  papers  published  a  manifesto  from 
the  Emir  of  Berber,  announcing  the  taking  of 
Khartoum  and  the  death  of  Gordon ;  according  to 
the  translation  it  said  :  "  We  have  killed  the  traitor 
Gordon''  (68).  It  is  rather  surprising  to  find  the 
expression  t7'ait07'  coupled  with  the  name  of  Gor- 
don even  by  the  pen  of  an  Arab,  and  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  word  so  translated  was  not  given 
in  the  Arabic  original,  for  very  possibly  the  text 
gave  "  Gordon  the  Impostor,"  that  is  to  say,  the 
Deddjal,  the  Antichrist :  for  the  death  of  the  Dedd- 
jal,  the  destruction  of  the  Antichrist,  was  to  be  the 


THE   MAHDI.  77 

great  work  of  the  Malidi  and  the  beginning  of  the 
great  triumph  (69).  Gordon  miglit  have  pla^^ed 
another  part  if  he  had  become  a  convert  to  Islam- 
ism,  as  the  Mahdi  seems  to  liave  offered  that  he 
sliould  do — the  part  of  Jesns  Christ  Himself;  for 
theoretically  at  least  there  can  be  no  Mahdi  without 
a  Jesus  at  liis  side.  'No  one  has  hitherto  been 
engaged  for  this  part,  but  possibly  the  ambition  of 
M.  Ollivier  Pain*  may  be  tempted  by  it. 

The  movement  in  the  Soudan  cannot  be  crushed 
by  intermittent  victories  bought  too  dearly  for  Eng- 
land. It  is  not  with  one  battle  that  a  revolution 
can  be  put  an  end  to.  Islam  has  reached  its  '93, 
and  cannot  be  brought  back  again  to  '89.  In  spite 
of  an  infinite  number  of  external  differences,  the 
same  spirit  is  now  urging  the  followers  of  the  Mahdi 
which  urged  on  the  men  of  the  French  Hevolution. 
To  the  thousands  of  people  who  are  ready  to  die  at 
his  slightest  command,  and  probably  even  to  him- 
self, the  work  of  the  Mahdi  is  to  bring  about  the 
advent  of  justice  npon  earth.  Remember  the  Pro- 
phet's definition  of  the  Mahdi :  "A  man  who  shall 
fill  the  earth  with  justice,  as  it  is  now  filled  with 
iniquity." 

*  See  p.  78,  foot-note. 


78  THE  MAHDI. 

The  revolutionary  idea  among  the  Frencli,  and 
tlie  idea  of  the  Messiali  among  the  Mussulmans, 
spring  from  the  same  instinct,  the  same  aspiration 
— among  the  former  in  a  secular,  among  the  latter 
in  a  religious  form ;  among  the  former  withered 
into  abstract  propositions  and  theoretical  reasonings, 
among  the  latter  in  the  spontaneous  and  striking 
foi'm  of  supernatural  visions. 

On  both  sides  we  find  the  same  striving  for  an 

ideal,  tainted  by  lapses  into  greed  and  hatred ;  on 

both  sides  the  same  ignorance  of  reality,  the  same 

liopes  contrary  to  the  order  of  Nature,  the  same 

dream  of  a  world  regenerated  by  a  miracle,  without 

any  change  in  humanity,  the  same  prodigies  of  en- 

tliusiasm,  ferocity,  and  devotion  ;  on  both  sides,  the 

kingdom  of  equity,  peace,  and  brotherhood,  is  to 

be  established  by  means  of  a  desti'oying  angel.     The 
Chancellor  of  the  Mahdi,  if  he  has  one,*  need  not 

feel  himself  expatriated  in  the  midst  of  the  desert 
confederations.     Where  the  Fi  ench  beggar  sings  : 

"  Here  is  the  end  of  your  troubles, 
Eaters  of  black  bread  and  drinkers  of  water  !"f 

*  M.  Ollivier  Pain  is  said  to  be  tlie  Mahdi's  Chancellor;  he 
played  a  leading  part  in  the  Commune  at  Paris  in  1871. — 
A.  S.  B. 

f  "  Voici  la  fin  de  vos  miseres, 

Mangcurs  de  pain  noir,  buveurs  d'eau!" 
A  song  by  Dupont  which  was  very  popular  in  1848. — A.  S.  B. 


\ 


THE   MAHDI.  79 

the  oppressed  Arab  cries  up  to  heaven :  Mata 
yathar  el  Mahdi  f — "  When  will  the  Mahdi  come  ?" 
A  people  imbued  with  these  sentiments  may  be 
exterminated,  but  they  will  never  be  made  to  sub- 
mit to  fate. 


80  THE   MAHDI. 


X. 


CONCLUSION. 


How  will  it  end  ?  The  subject  naturally  invites 
prophecies,  but  the  author  has  no  intention  of  setting 
himself  up  as  a  Mahdi,  and  will  therefore  endeavor 
to  be  prudent  in  his  predictions. 

The  present  Mahdi,  if  Mahomet  is  to  be  trusted, 
has  still  three  or  four  years  to  last,  for  the  Prophet 
announced  that  the  terrestrial  mission  of  the  Mahdi 
chould  last  for  seven  years  (70).  It  is  quite  possi- 
ble, indeed,  that  three  years  may  wear  him  out :  for 
a  Mahdi  can  only  exist  by  victories  and  marches  in 
advance ;  if  he  retires  or  pauses  the  Soudan  will 
cry  :  "  This  is  not  the  true  Mahdi ;  he  is  one  of  the 
false  Mahdis  who  are  to  announce  the  true :  let  us 
wait."  It  seems  safe,  however,  to  assume  that 
whatever  may  be  the  result  of  the  English  expedi- 
tion, no  European  nation,  whatever  it  may  be,  will 
ever  be  able  to  establish  lasting  order  in  the  Soudan, 
and  this  for  a  natural  reason,  a  decree  from  above. 


THE   MAHDI.  81 

The  sun  over  their  heads,  the  desert  sand  beneath 
tlieh'  feet,  oppose  a  double  barrier  to  their  success 
wliich  no  act  of  Parliament  can  abolish  (Tl). 

From  the  very  dawn  of  history  there  has  never 
but  twice  been  anything  like  real  order  prevailing 
in  these  regions — three  thousand  years  ago  under 
the  Pharaohs  of  the  Eighteenth  Dynasty,  and  in  this 
century  under  the  Khedives. 

Order,  as  understood  by  the  Khedives,  has 
brought  about  what  we  have  already  seen.  Eng- 
land could  only  restore  it  with  the  forces  of  Egypt ; 
but  by  reducing  Egypt  to  vassalage,  and  making 
the  Khedive  a  mere  phantom,  by  drawing  down 
on  herself,  by  a  series  of  useless  and  unnecessary 
measures,  the  hostility  of  the  most  important  part 
of  Egypt,  she  broke  with  her  own  hands  the  only 
instrument  which  she  could  serviceably  employ 
there.  Her  brave  little  army  with  terrible  sacri- 
fices and  loss  of  blood  might  be  able  to  fly  the 
flag  of  England  for  a  day  from  the  walls  of  Khar- 
toum, to  gain  a  brilliant  but  sterile  victory  in  the 
desert;  but  her  victorious  footprints  would  in  a 
night  be  obliterated  by  the  sand  of  the  desert. 

Hence  the  real  sympathy,  more  general  than  is 
imagined,  and  which  the  newspapers  will  not  ac- 
knowledge, that  the  Mahdi  excites  in  England,  even 


82  THE   MAHDI. 

after  the  death  of  Gordon.  England  has  a  great 
political  virtue — the  greatest  perhaps  of  all  political 
virtues — the  respect  for  230wer  under  whatever  form 
it  may  be  manifested,  as  long  as  it  is  manifested 
clearly.  If  Mohammed  Ali  had  been  a  politician, 
if  there  had  been  in  him  the  stuff  to  make  a  Fatim- 
ide  or  an  Almohade,  if  he  consented  to  remain  on 
earth,  and  found  a  great  Soudanese  empire,  then 
Europe  might  wake  up  one  fine  day  and  learn  that 
England  had  sent  a  resident  to  the  Court  of  Khar- 
toum or  El-Obeid,  with  a  regular  treaty  of  com- 
merce. Unfortunately  it  seems  that  the  Mahdi  is 
not  a  politician  in  the  European  sense  of  the  word. 

He  is  something  more,  or  less — he  is  an  honest  fan- 
atic. The  kingdom  of  earth  is  to  him  only  a  step- 
ping-stone to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  according  to  the  Arabian  con- 
ception of  it,  there  is  no  room  for  an  English  resi- 
dent, even  though  he  were  a  missionary  or  a 
Methodist. 

^Nevertheless  it  is  necessary  that  the  Soudan  shall 
remain  open  ;  if  it  were  closed  it  would,  in  the  eyes 
of  history,  be  a  disgrace  to  our  times.  It  is  impos- 
sible that  Europe  should  lose  the  fruit  of  the  hero- 
ism and  genius  of  an  incomparable  army  of  explor- 
ers, English,  French,  Italian,  and  German,     In  one 


THE  MAHDI.  83 

* 

day  the  loss  of  half  a   century  of  gain  would  be 
brought  about. 

Well !  if  European  civilization  cannot  ascend  the 
Nile,  it  has  only  to  reach  the  source  of  it  and  to  de- 
scend it.  This  is  quite  possible.  At  the  very  gates 
of  the  Soudan  a  half-European  power  has  slum- 
bered for  centuries,  a  power  which  has  hitherto 
only  occasionally  appeared  npon  the  scene  to  inflict 
a  few  short  but  sanguinary  lessons  upon  Egyptian 
greed,  but  which  one  day  will  be  the  Deics  ex 
macJiina — this  power  is  Abyssinia.  At  the  source 
of  the  Bhie  Nile,  cut  off  in  a  chaos  of  impregnable 
mountains,  dwells  a  nation  of  strong  passions,  which 
is  at  the  same  time  very  old  and  very  young,  which 
has  behind  it  long  distant  memories  of  power  and 
glory,  and  which  is  beginning  to  dream  of  a  future 
equal  to  its  real  or  imaginary  past.  This  people  is 
Christian,  and  boasts  its  descent  from  King  Solomon 
and  the  Queen  of  Sheba  (72).  More  than  thirteen 
centuries  ago  it  received  from  the  Greeks  the  Chris- 
tian religion  and  the  germs  of  a  civilization  re- 
sembling our  own,  which  only  need  to  be  developed 
if  Europe  will  lend  its  aid.  M.  Gabriel  Charmes, 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  French  journalists,  has 
pointed  out  the  great  interest  which  we  should  take 

to  merit  the  friendship  of  a  people  who  look  towards 
6 


84  THE   MAHDI. 

US,  a  lost  sentinel  of  the  West,  whom  we  have  for- 
gotten, for  centuries,  to  relieve.  One  day  if  we 
wish,  and  will  undertake  the  education  of  this  infant 
people,  the  mountains  of  Abyssinia  will  be  the 
stronghold  whence  European  civilization  shall  domi- 
nate the  Soudan. 

This  is  not  an  affair  of  conquest  nor  of  annexation  ; 
it  ^ill  not  be  necessary  to  lead  an  Abj^ssinian  army 
to  the  conquest  of  Khartoum  ;  it  is  a  matter  of  slow 
and  disinterested  action  which  cannot  awaken  jeal- 
ousy, for  all  the  nations  of  Europe  can  participate 
in  it  to  the  extent  in  which  each  inspires  confidence. 
The  European  nation  which  shall  do  the  most  for 
the  education  of  this  peoj^le,  which  shall  respect  its 
weakness  instead  of  speculating  upon  it,  which  shall 
develop  its  powers  instead  of  using  them  as  an  in- 
strument of  personal  ambition,  shall  make  of  this 
nation,  now  backward  in  civilization,  an  advanced 
guard  against  barbarism.  Our  civilization  thus  in- 
stalled at  the  sources  of  the  Blue  Nile  will  slowly 
descend  the  valley ;  and  who  knows  whether  in 
these  young  and  courageous  hands  it  may  not,  when 
necessary,  find  a  supreme  resource  against  the  dan- 
gers of  a  return  to  barbarism  to  which  it  is  exposed 
by  the  senile  quarrels  of  Europe  fallen  into  its 
second  childhood  ? 


NOTES. 


NOTES. 


1    For  the  subject  of  Zohak,  see  Ormazd  et  Ahri- 
man,  by  J.  Darmesteter.      Paris,  Vieweg,  1877,  §§ 

91-95, 107-110. 

2.  As  to  Saosbyant,  see  ibid.  §§  180-192.       ^ 
3    Tbe  word  imam    literally  means  the  chiet,  or 
guide.     In  public  prayer  it  signifies  the  officiating 
minister,  whose  words  the  people  repeat  m  a  low 
voice  and  whose  gestures  they  imitate;  he  is  a  de  e- 
gate  of  the  supreme    Imam,  the    successor    of  Ma- 
homet.     Among  the   Shiites,  the  legitimate   imam 
having  disappeared  (see  above,  p.  40),  there  are  only 
leaders  de  facto,  and  the  Friday  public  prayer  is  no 
longer  legal  (Querry,  Becueil  de  lois  Chyites,  I.  85). 
4?  "In  all  times  the  Mussulmans  have  held  the 
opinion  that  towards  the  end  of  time  a  man  of  the 
family  of  the   Prophet   must    necessarily  appear  in 
order  to  support  religion  and  bring   about  the  tri- 
umph of  justice.     Leading  in  his  train  the  true  be- 
lievers, he  will  make  himself  master  of  the  Moslem 
kingdoms,  and  will  be  called  El  Mahdi  (the  God- 


88  NOTES. 

guided).  Then  El  Deddjal  (the  Antichrist)  will  ap- 
pear, and  those  events  will  take  place  which  are  to 
herald  the  approach  of  the  last  hour  (of  the  world), 
events  indicated  in  the  collections  of  authentic  tra- 
ditions. After  the  coming  of  Deddjal  Jesus  will  de- 
scend (from  heaven)  and  will  destroy  him,  or  (ac- 
cording to  another  tradition)  he  will  descend  with 
the  Mahdi  to  assist  in  the  destruction  of  Deddjal, 
and  when  he  prays  the  Mahdi  will  be  his  imam 
(prayer-leader)"  {ProUgomhies  cClbn  Khaldoun, 
translated  into  French  by  De  Slane,  11.  158).  See 
the  whole  chapter,  which  contains  a  collection  of  tra- 
ditions relative  to  the  Mahdi.  Ibn  Khaldoun  wrote 
in  the  fourteenth  century;  he  was  born  in  Tunis  in 
1332,  and  died  in  Egypt  in  1406. 

5.  ProUgomenes,  II.  166. 

6.  Masoudi,  Les  prairies  cVor,  II.  162. 

v.  Bag  I  '3finocitrt  rnin  yaztdn  (Pehlevi  Inscrip- 
tions, jt>«ss/?/i). 

8.  "  Rex  regum  Sapor,  particeps  siderum,  frater 
solis  et  lunse,  Constantio  C^sari,  fratri  meo,  salatem 
plurimam  dico"  (Ammianus  Marcellin.  XVII.  5-3), 

Xo(3/3o;/5  fiadiXev'i  fiapiXecov ,  ...Ir  (jEo7i  ukv  arBpooTto^ 
dyaOoS  Hat  aioot'io^,  kr  Ss  roiS  drOpconoi^  Qe6<^  k7tiq)avE- 
Craroiy  vTtepsvdozo'i,  riHr/rj}?,  i/Xio)  dwcxvaraXXoov  7{ai 
ry  rvHTi  xocpi^o/j-Evoi  ojuj^ara"  (Theopbyluctus  Shnocatta, 
IV.  8). 

9.  Adrien  de  Longperier,  (Euvres,  I.  79.  Hence, 
doubtless,  the  usage   among  the   Sufis  of   the  word 


KOTES.  ^^ 


qoth,  pole,  to  indicate  the  supreme  saint,  the  delegate 
of  God,  by  virtue  of  whom  in  every  generation 
nature  and  the  world  follow  regular  order.  (Silves- 
tre  de  Sacy,  Journal  des  Savants,  1822,  p.  17.) 

10.  Amari,  Storia    del  Musulma^ii  di  Sicilia,  I. 

107. 

11.  The  first  apotheosis  of  Ali  is  attributed  to  a 
converted  Jew  from  Yemen,  Abdallah  ben  Saba, 
founder  of  the  sects  of  Extravagants  or  Ultra-AUdes 
(the  Ghaliyas) ;  with  regard  to  these  sects  see  Schah- 
rastani.  Sects  and  Schools,  Haarbrlickner's  transla- 
tion. (Abul-Fath  Muhammad  asch-Schahrastani's 
Beligionspartheien  mid  Philosphen- Schiden,  Halle, 
2  vol.  1850:  I.  195-219.) 

12.  Comte  de  Gobineau,  Religions  de  VAsie 
centrale;  page  339,6^  56^.— Chodzko,  Theatre  persan 

1878. 

13.  Prolegomenes,  11.  178. 

14.  For  the  doctrines  of  Mokhtar  and  the  Mokh- 
tariya,  see  Schahrastdni,  loc.  cit.,  I.  166-169;  on 
the  life  of  Mokhtar,  see  the  Chronique  de  Tabari, 
translated  into  French  by  M.  Zotenberg,  lY.  80,  et 

seq. 

15.  Ormazd  et  Ahriman,  pp.  212,  217. 

16.  Simrock,  Handhuch  der  Deutschen  Mythologie, 
preface  of  the  4th  edition. 

17.  Ormazd  et  Ahriman,  §§  175-179. 

18.  Verses  by  the  poet  Kutair: 

-In  truth  the   imams  of  Koreish,  the  masters  of  truth,  are 
four  in  number  equal  among  themselves; 


90  NOTESc 

All  and  three  of  his  children,  grandsons  (of  the  Prophet  by 
their  mother,  Sibt),  on  whom  rests  no  doubt; 

A  grandson,  the  heir  of  his  faith  and  of  his  generosity  (Has- 
san), another  buried  in  the  grave  at  Kerbela  (Hussein). 

A  tliird  hidden  from  the  sight  of  all  until  the  day  when  he 
shall  appear  at  the  head  of  his  horsemen,  preceded  by  the 
standard  (Mohammed). 

This  son  conceals  himself  from  all  eyes  for  a  long  time,  hid- 
den in  the  valley  of  liadwa,  where  water  and  honey  tiow." 
(Masoudi,  Les  praii'ies  d'or,  translated  by  Barbier  de  Mey- 

nard,  V.  182;  Cf.  ScUahrasidni,  loc.  cit.,  I.  168.) 

"  The  valley  of  Radwa  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  of  the  same  name,  near  Yanbo,  between 
that  town  and  Medina.  The  mysterious  aspect  of 
this  valley,  with  its  caves  and  wooded  gorges,  lends 
itself  to  the  legend  of  the  hidden  imchn.''^  (Barbier 
de  Mey  nard,  Xe  Seid  himyarite,  Journal  Asiatique, 
1874,  il.  249,  note.) 

19.  ProUgommes,  II.  180. 

20.  On  the  life  and  works  of  this  poet,  see  M. 
Barbier  de  Meynard's  monograph,  in  the  Journal 
Asiatiqiie,  1874,  II.  159,  et  seq. 

21.  The  name  of  the  mother  of  Mohammed,  who 
belonged  to  the  Hanefite  tribe. 

22.  Prairies  d^or,  V.  182.  The  last  verses  com- 
posed by  Seid,  when  dying,  are  in  honor  of  the  Hane- 
fite Mahdi: 

•'  Dost  thou  not  know,  3'^et  the  news  is  spreading;  dost  thou 
not  know  the  words  which  Mahomet  addressed 

To  the  depositary  of  his  knowledge,  to  the  guide  to  salva- 
tion, Ali,  when  Khawlah  was  handmaid  in  his  house? 


KOTES.  91 

Know  (said  the  Prophet)  that  Khawlah  will  soon  give  thee  a 

son,  a  generous,  brave,  and  noble  hero ; 
He  shall  be  glorified  by  the  name  and  surname  which  I  have 

given  him,  and  he  shall  be  Mahdi  after  me; 
He  shall  live  long,  unknown  to  men,  and  they  shall  believe 

him  to  be  hidden  in  the  tomb  at  Tibah. 
Months  and  years  shall  roll  away  and  he  shall  be  seen  in  the 

valley  of  Radwa,  in  the  midst  of  panthers  and  lions. 
Around  him,  white  gazelles,  bulls,  and  young  ostriches  shall 

wander  in  the  midst  of  lions. 
Wild    beasts  shall   spare    them,  and  shall   not  seek   to    tear 

them  with  their  claws; 
Death  will  respect  their  host,  and  the  animals  will  feed  tran- 
quilly amid  pastures  and  flowers, 
I  hope  that  my  last  hour  will  be-  delayed,  and  that  I  shall 

await  thy  reign  free  from  violence,  and  which  none  will 

accuse  as  harsh. 
Thou  Shalt  triumph  over  those  who  persecute  us  because  of 

You,  who  are  the  best  of  refuges. 
Thou  shalt  place  us  above  them  wherever  they  shall  be,  in 

the  depths  of  Tehamah  and  on  the  plains  of  Nedjd, 
When  coming  from  the  holy  land  thou  shalt   show  thyself 

to  the  sons  of  Maad,  assembled  at  Medina." 

[Compare  the  above  verses  with  Isaiah  xi.  4,  et 
seq.;  Ixv.  25. — A.  S.  B.] 
23s,  Prairies  cPor,  Y.  471. 

24.  ProUgomenes,  De  Slane,  I.  406. 

25.  Jelal-nddin  as-Suynti,  History  of  the  Caliphs, 
Jarret's  translation,  Calcutta,  1881,  p.   13,  et  seq. 

26.  Dozy,  Essai  sur  Vhistoire  de  V IsUmiisme,  p. 
240. 

27.  Schefer,  Chrestomathie  persane,  p.  170,  et  seq. 
Sinbad's  real  object  was  to  restore  the  ancient  reli- 


92  NOTES.  \-  S 

gion  of  Persia.      When  he   spoke  privately  to  the 
Ghebers  [the  tire-worshippers]  he  said,  "  The  reign  oii 
the  Arabs  has  come  to  an  end  as  one  of  the  Sassanide* 
books  predicted.     I  will  not  renounce  my  enterprisejf 
until  I  have  destroyed  the  Kaabah,  the  worship  or 
which  has  been  substituted  for  that  of  the  sun,  and 
until  we  shall  as  of  old  make  that  planet  our  qiblah." 
To  explain  to  the  Ghebers  why  in  the  mean  while j, 
they  had  fought  under  the  Mussulman  flag,  he  said,\j 
"  Mazdek   becafne    a   Sbiy   and    enjoined    on   us   to   ■ 
avenge  the  blood  of  Abu-Muslim"  (ibid.  p.  172). 

28.  The  hero  of  Moore's  poem,  "The  Veiled 
Prophet  of  Khorassan.'* 

29.  On  M-Mocanna,  see  Guptav  Weil,  Geschichtej 
der  Chalifen,  II.  101,  et  seq. 

30.  Tahari,  IV.  371,  e^  seq. 

31.  Tabari,  IV.  382-421. 

32.  The  following  is  one  of  the  apocryphal  tradi- 
tions circulated  at  the  time  in  order  to  bring  about 
the  restoration  of  the  Alides,  which  was  attributed 
to  a  contemporary  of  Ali,  Ibn  Masud: 

"  While  we  were  near  the  Prophet,  said  Abdallah 
Ibn  Masud,  behold  some  young  men  of  the  family  of 
Hachem  approached.  When  the  Prophet  saw  them 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  he  changed  color.  I 
said  to  him,  *  For  a  long  time  we  have  noticed  some- 
thing in  your  face  which  has  pained  us.'  He  re- 
plied, '  God  has  preferred  to  give  to  us  who  belong 
to  a  specially  favored  house,  happiness  in  another 
world  rather  than  prosperity  in  this.     After  me  the 


NOTES.  93 

members  of  this  family  shall  suffer  misfortunes;  they 
shall  be  persecuted  until  men  shall  come  out  of  the 
east  bearing  with  them  black  flags.  They  will  de- 
mand what  is  right,  but  they  will  not  obtain  it;  then 
they  will  fight,  will  be  victorious,  and  will  gain  what 
they  had  demanded.  They  will  only  accept  it  in 
order  to  give  it  to  a  man  of  my  family  who  shall  fill 
the  earth  with  justice  as  now  it  is  filled  with  in- 
iquity. Those  among  you  who  shall  see  this  must 
join  them  even  if  in  order  to  do  so  they  have  to 
drag  themselves  through  snow.'  It  was  Yezid  Ibn 
Abi  Ziad  who  brought  this  message  which  is  gene- 
rally known  by  the  traditionists  under  the  name  of 
tradition  of  the  flags'-  [ProlegomeneSy  II.  176).  The 
men  from  the  east  were  the  army  of  Abu-Muslim 
come  from  Khorassan;  the  black  flag  was  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Abbassides. 

33.  Since  the  reign  of  Schah  Abbah,  who  organ- 
ized the  pilgrimage  to  Mechhed,  in  order  to  retain  in 
Persia  the  caravans  and  the  money  which  had  gone 
out  every  year  to  Mecca.  The  word  Mechhed  means 
"  place  of  martyrdom,"  and  by  extension,  "  tomb  of 
a  saint." 

34.  As  to  the  fate  of  the  twelve  Imams,  see  Hei- 
naud.  Description  des  3Ionimients  Miisidmans  du 
CaUnetJBlacas,  1828,  Vol.  I.  367-377;  Sr^hefer,  Chres- 
tomathie  per  sane,  184-189. 

35.  Mouradgea  d'Ohsson,  Tableau  de  V empire  Ot- 
toman, ed.  in  fol.  I.  88.  This  picture  is  reproduced 
as  the  frontispiece  to  the  present  volume. 


94  NOTES. 

86.  Barbier  de  Meynard,  Yaqout,  Dictionnaire  de 
la  Perse,  p.  435. 

37.  Voyages  d"* Ton  Batoiitah  (fourteenth  century), 
translation  into  French  by  Defremery  and  Sangui- 
netti,  II.  97-99.     ProUgomhies,  I.  404. 

38.  Reinaud,  loc.  clt.,  I.  377;  II.  161. 

39.  Chardin,  Voyage  en  Perse,  ed.  Langles,  VII. 
456;  IX.  144.  The  last  of  the  Sarbedarian  princes  (a 
dynasty  of  Khorassan,  end  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury), Khodja  ali  Mouied,  acted  in  the  same  manner. 
(D'Herbelot,  Bihllotluque  Orientale,  art.  Sarheda- 
7'iens.) 

40.  The  schism  began  as  early  as  the  sixth  Imam, 
Jafar.  Jafar  had  appointed  his  eldest  son,  Ismael,  as 
his  successor;  but  Ismael  having  died  before  him,  he 
transmitted  his  rights  to  his  second  son,  Musa, 
although  Ismael  had  left  children.  The  mass  of  the 
Alides  accepted  Musa,  but  a  powerful  party  refused 
to  acknowledge  him,  and  remained  faithful  to  Ismael 
and  his  descendants.  "  Some  partisans  of  Ismael  re- 
fused to  believe  in  his  death;  he  had  simply  disap- 
peared, they' said,  and  would  return  some  day,  even 
if  it  was  at  the  end  of  time.  Strange  reports  circu- 
lated about  him;  some  persons  claimed  to  have  seen 
him  at  Basrah.  All  those  of  the  Ismaelites  wdio  put 
faith  in  these  propositions  declared  that  they  must 
wait  for  the  return  of  Ismael,  and  as  he  did  not  return 
they  concluded  that  he  was  the  expected  Messiah,  the 
Mahdi,  and  that  no  Imam  was  to  come  after  him. 
They  received  the  name  of  Stationary  Ismaelites;  but 


NOTES.  95 

the  greater  number  of  people  proclaimed  Ismael's 
son,  Mohammel  ben  Ismael "  (Stanislas  Guyard,  Un 
grand  maitre  des  Assassins,  Journal  As iatique,  1877, 

I.  329). 

41.  On  the  life  and  work  of  Abdallah  ben  Meimun, 
see  Stanislas  Guyard,  loc.  cit.,  326-334. 

42.  A  tradition  attributed  to  Mahomet  prevailed 
in  Africa  that  at  the  end  of  the  world  the  sun  would 
rise  from  the  West,  which  was  interpreted  by  saying 
that  the  Mahdi  would  appear  in  the  West,  Magh- 
reb =  setting  of  the  sun;  but  this  did  not  prevent 
the  existence  at  the  same  time  of  a  literal  interpreta- 
tion. On  the  Fatimide  Mahdi,  see  Ibn  Khaldoun, 
Histoire  des  Berbers,  De  Slane's  French  translation, 
III.  496;  Prolegomhies,  III.  40,  et  seq.,  128;  Amari, 
Storia  dei  Jfusulmani  di  Sicilia;  Silvestre  de  Sacy, 
Expose  de  la  religion  des  Bruzes,  I.  cclxv. 

43.  Vie  du  Khalife  fatimide  Moez-lidin- Allah,  par 
Quatremere  {Journal  Asiatique). 

44.  Silvestre  de  Sacy,  loc,  cit.,  I.  229. 

45.  On  the  Almohade  Mahdi,  see  Dozy,  Essai  sur 
VUstoire  de  VIslamisme,,  pp.  368-380  ;  Ibn  Khal- 
doun, Histoire  des  Berbers,  De  Slane,  III.  161,  et 
seq.;  Prolegomhies,  I.  53,  et  seq.,  467;  II.  442;  leKar- 
tas. 

46.  "As  a  rule  they  expected  to  see  him  appear  in 
some  distant  province,  in  some  locality  situated  at 
the  extreme  limit  of  the  habitable  land,  such  as 
Zab  in  Ifrikiya,*  or  at  Sous  in  the  Maghreb.f    They 

*  In  Algeria  to  the  south  of  Auras. 

\  On  the  Atlantic,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Sous. 


96  NOTES. 

went  there  intending  to  remain  until  they  met  this 
person,  imagining  that  he  would  appear  in  the  ri- 
bat  and  be  inaugurated  there.  They  chose  this  place 
because  it  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  country 
of  the  Guedalas,  one  of  the  veiled  peoples,  and  they 
thought  that  it  was  to  this  race  that  he  would  belong. 
These  suppositions  are  not  justified  in  any  way  ex- 
cept by  the  extraordinary  appearance  of  the  (veiled) 
people.  .  .  .  Many  individuals  of  limited  intelli- 
gence went  to  the  rlbat  with  the  intention  of  deceiving 
people,  and  posing  as  founders  of  a  new  doctrine,  an 
enticing  prospect  for  the  ambitious,  when  they  yield 
to  the  inspiration  of  the  demon  or  of  their  own  mad- 
ness. But  these  attempts  often  cost  them  their  lives" 
{ProUgomenes,  II.  200). 

47.  At  the  beginning  of  the  eighth  century  of  the 
Hegira,  under  the  Merinide  Yussuf  Ibn  Yacub,  a  Sufi 
named  Touizeri,  the  little  Touzerian  (from  Touzer, 
Tunisian  Djerid),  appeared  at  the  ribat  of  Massa, 
bringing  a  number  of  men  from  Sous,  Guezoulas,  and 
Zanagas  (Sanhejas),  and  was  assassinated  by  the 
alarmed  Masmudian  Emirs. 

El- Abbas  appeared  among  the  Ghomaras  of  the 
Marocco  Rif  between  690  and  700  (1291-1300  a.d.)„ 
took  Bades  (Velez  de  Gomera),  burnt  the  bazaars, 
marched  on  El-Mezemma  (Alhucema)  and  was  assas- 
sinated. 

Mohammed  Ibn  Abrahim  el-Abbeli,  the  master  of 
Ibn  Khaldoun,  making  the  pilgrimage  to  the  ribat 
of  El-Obbad  (the   burial-place  of  the  Zauia  of   the 


NOTES.  97 

Sheikh  Bu  Medin),  on  the  mountain  above  Tlemcen, 
travelled  with  a  descendant  of  the  Prophet  coming 
from  Kerbela,  where  he  had  dwelt,  accompanied  by 
a  numerous  and  admiring  party,  and  who  was  re- 
ceived everywhere  by  hospitable  compatriots.  He 
came  to  establish  the  authority  of  the  Fatimides  in 
Maghreb;  but  seeing  the  forces  of  the  Merinide  Yus- 
suf  Ibn  Yacub,  he  prudently  retired,  saying:  "We 
have  made  a  false  step;  the  time  has  not  yet  come" 
{P^'olegomenes,  II.  202). 

48.  In  1828  a  Mahdi  appeared  in  Senegal,  Moham- 
med ben  A'mar  ben  Ahhmed;  like  Mahomet  he  re- 
vealed himself  in  the  month  of  Ramadan;  he  was 
shut  up  as  insane  in  a  cell  built  for  the  purpose 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  country;  he  left  it 
twelve  days  later  at  the  time  of  evening  prayer,  took 
up  his  parable  in  the  manner  of  a  prophet,  and  made 
known  his  mission.  Beaten  by  the  Almamy  (the 
Emir  Al-Mumenin  of  those  parts),  he  brought  back 
his  scattered  partisans  by  offering  a  sacrifice  for  the 
sins  of  the  people;  the  sacrifice  was  his  own  infant 
son.  It  is  not  known  what  became  of  him.  The 
contemporary  evidence  goes  no  further  than  that 
event  {Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  1829,  I.  247). 

49.  Mouradgea  d'Ohsson,  Tableau  de  Vempire  Ot- 
toman^ in  fol.  I.  88.  This  is  the  Sunnite  Code  of 
Omar  Nessefy  (born  in  the  ye^r  534  of  the  Hegira, 
1142  of  our  era),  with  a  commentary  by  Saad-eddin 
Teftazani  (808  of  the  Hegira,  1405  of  our  era). 

60.  Mouradgea  d'Ohsson  mentions  several  Mahdis 


98  NOTES. 

under  the  Sultans,  most  of  them  were  Dervishes: 
Jelal  under  Selim  I.,  Yahya  Mohammed  Seyyah 
under  Murad  III.,  Ahmed  Scheykh  Sacariah,  under 
Murad  lY.  Unfortunately  he  gives  no  details  re- 
specting these  Mahdis;  but  he  says,  "It  is  believed 
that  there  is  even  at  present  (1788)  an  impostor  of 
this  name  on  the  frontiers  of  Persia." 

51.  Hammer-Purgstall,  Hlstoire  de  V empire  Otto^ 
man,  Ilellert's  translation,  XI.  239,  et  seq.  Cf.  Rein- 
ach,  Hlstoire  des  Israelites,  269,  ct  seq.  Another 
Mahdi  appeared  under  Ahmed  II.  in  1694;  he  declared 
himself  in  the  mosque  at  Adrianople.  Summoned  to 
appear  before  the  Kaimakan,  he  escaped  by  feigning 
madness;  when  at  liberty  he  began  afresh,  and  was 
exiled  to  Lemnos  (Hammer-Purgstall,  loc.  clt.  XII. 
360). 

52.  Report  dated  Messidor  1st,  Eighth  Year  (June 
19,  1799). 

53.  Soclete  de  Geographie  reports  for  1883,  pp. 
621-628.  The  number  of  rebels  engaged  is  some- 
times given  to  a  man. 

54.  He  is  of  middle  height,  coffee-colored  complex- 
ion, with  a  black  beard  according  to  Mousa  Peney 
{Eevue  d'' Ethnograpliie,  II.  473.  Letter  dated  April 
13,  1883).  On  each  cheek  he  has  three  parallel  scars, 
which  M.  Goeje  says,  in  a  letter  to  the  author,  are 
the  marks  of  those  gashes  which  in  Africa  are  called 
MesMU  (Welsted,Vrf^ve^s  in  Arabia,  II.  206,  283)  . 
and  Tashrit  at  Mecca  (Robertson  Smith,  Encyc.  Brit. 
art,  "  Mecca"),  a  disfigurement  which  it  is  fashion- 


NOTES.  ^i> 

able  to  perform  on  children — according  to  some,  for 
the  purpose  of  preventing  ophthalmia;  according  to 
others,  as  a  sign  of  piety.  He  also  bears  the  seal  of 
prophecy,  see  pp.  81-2,  note  63. 

55.  "  Even  though  the  world  should  have  but  one 
day  more  to  live,  it  is  certain  that  God  will  prolong 
that  day  until  He  has  revived  a  man  like  me,  or  a 
member  of  my  family,  whose  name  shall  be  the  same 
as  mine,  and  whose  father  shall  bear  the  same  name 
as  my  father"  {ProUgomenes,  II.  162).  This  tradi- 
tion probably  dates  from  the  time  of  the  Mahdi  Mo- 
hammed, who  was  the  son  of  a  man  named  Abdallah, 
the  rival  of  Almansor. 

56.  Bosphore  Egyptien,  June  8,  1884. 

57.  "  It  is  very  remarkable,"  says  the  eminent  Ley- 
den  Orientalist,  M.  de  Goeje,  "  and  a  proof  of  sin- 
cerity that  the  present  Mahdi  does  not  set  himself 
up  as  of  Fatimide  descent"  (in  a  private  letter  dated 
March  13,  1885).     Cf.  note  65. 

58.  See  the  account,  given  by  the  Greek  prisoners, 
cited  in  note  69. 

59.  The  following  circular  or  general  order  from 
the  Mahdi  was  picked  up  after  the  battle  of  Kirbekan 
on  February  9  .885,  and  although  not  written  by 
him  it  breather  'ais  sentiments  and  shows  the  practi- 
cal energy  and  faith  of  the  writers:  "In  the  name  of 
the  most  Merciful,  Bountiful,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  To  the 
Sheikhs  of  Dar  Monister,  Dar  Robatat,  etc.,  etc. 
Twenty-five  rifles  have  been  distributed  to  every  vil- 
lage in  your  country,  and  in  all  the  Shagyeh  districts. 


100  NOTES. 

No  man  therefore  must  come  unto  you  without  arms. 
Should  any  join  your  camp  without  carrying  a  rifle, 
he  is  to  receive  two  hundred  strokes  of  the  kerbash. 
Unarmed  men  are  useless,  and  only  eat  up  provisions; 
besides  they  may  be  suspected  of  being  lukewarm  in 
our  cause  and  of  being  afraid  of  being  seen  by  the 
Giaour,  or  the  Turks,  who  are  not  true  Mussulmans, 
and  more  to  be  cursed  than  the  Giaour.  All  of  these 
ye  shall  destroy  in  due  time.  After  much  blood  has 
flown  there  shall  be  peace.  See  that  these  instruc- 
tions of  our  Lord,  the  Long  Expected  One,*  are  fol- 
lowed. Woe  to  all  the  disobedient."  Then  follow 
signatures  of  four  dervishes. 

"  Mahomet  Ali, 
Ibrahim-Eran-Hassein, 
Haxid  Ageil, 
soleumann  yousseff." 

{Daily  JVeics,  March  10,  1885;  the  letter  is  published 
in  the  correspondence  from  the  battle-field,  dated 
February  11th). 

60.  Univers  Israelite,  1885,  February  16th. 

61.  According  to  an  interesting  article  published 
in  the  Dally  iVe^c^  for  March  21,  1885,  Osman  Digna, 
the   most   able   of   the   Mahdi's    lieutenants,    is   the 

*  Probably  El-Muntazar,  the  ancient  title  of  the  Mahdi,  or 
last  Imam.  [For  particulars  of  a  coin  struck  in  the  name  of 
EI-Muntazar,  and  issued  by  the  Vizier  Abu-Ali  in  the  year  of 
the  Hegira  52-1  (1130  a.d.),  see  Catalogue  of  the  Coins  in  the 
British  Museum,  by  Stanley  Lane-Poole,  Introduction,  pp.  ix. 
etseq.—A.  S.  B] 


NOTES.  101 

grandson  of  a  Turkish  slave-merchant  established  at 
Suakin  in  the  beginning  of  this  century;  on  the 
mother's  side  he  belonged  to  the  non-Arab  tribe  of 
the  Hadendowas.  The  house  of  Osman  Digna  was 
the  richest  and  most  influential  in  the  country  of 
Suakin.  In  the  course  of  his  business  travels  in  the 
Soudan,  where  he  went  in  search  of  profitable  ex- 
changes, negroes  included,  he  allied  himself  with  the 
principal  heads  of  the  anti-Egyptian  movement  which 
was  hatching.  Ruined  by  the  Anglo-Egyptian  Con- 
vention against  slavery,  he  assembled  tlie  sheikhs  un- 
der the  sycamore  which  shadows  the  chief  well  of 
Suakin,  and  exhorted  them  to  rise  against  the  Turks 
(the  Egyptians),  those  false  Mussulmans  who  entered 
into  alliance  with  the  Christians.  The  sheikhs  thought 
he  was  mad.  He  waited,  and  recommenced  his 
travels.  When  the  Mahdi  declared  himself  he  became 
one  of  his  first  followers,  and  went  to  seek  him  at 
El-Obeid,  receiving  the  title  of  "  Emir  of  the  Dervish 
of  God,"  with  letters  to  the  Soudanese  sheikhs  order- 
ing them  to  obey  him.  Since  then  he  has  bravely 
held  his  own  against  the  English,  often  vanquished, 
but  regaining  his  positions,  and  always  ready  to  be 
on  the  offensive.  At  last  his  star  seems  to  have  sunk 
before  General  Graham  towards  the  end  of  March. 
His  camp  at  Tamai  was  taken  in  the  beginning  of 
April;  it  had  already  been  taken  last  year  without 
any  great  benefit  to  the  English.* 

*It  was  reported  on  April  17,   1885,   tliat  the  enemy  was 
again  at  Tamai.— A.  S.  B. 


102  NOTES. 

62.  Henri  Duveyrier,  La  confrerie  musulmane  de 
Sidi  Mohammed  hen^Ali  Es-Senousl  et  son  domaine 
geographique  en  Vannee  1300  de  Vheglre,  Paris,  So- 
ciete  de  Geographie,  1884. 

63.  It  is  said  that  Mahomet  bore  between  his 
shoulders  the  seal  of  prophecy.  "The  Mussulmans 
believe  that  it  is  a  kind  of  wen  covered  with  hair, 
and  as  large  as  a  pigeon's  Qgg.  They  add  that  all  the 
prophets  had  one  like  it,  but  that  at  the  death  of 
Mahomet  the  seal  of  prophecy  disappeared  forever. 
Mahomet  made  this  natural  deformity  one  of  the 
chief  proofs  of  his  divine  mission"  (Reinaud,  Descrip- 
tion du  Cabinet  Slacas,  II.  79). 

64.  The  angel  of  death. 

65.  An  ingenious  way  of  acknowledging  that  he  is 
not  of  Mahomet's  blood.     Cf.  note  57. 

66.  This  was  a  great  sage  of  the  seventh  century, 
who  has  become  the  chief  saint  of  contemporary 
Africa;  he  is  supposed  to  return  to  earth  once  every 
year  at  night,  and  to  traverse  the  desert  beneath  the 
rays  of  the  moon  on  a  magnificently  caparisoned 
horse.  On  the  Qaderis,  the  brotherhood  of  his  fol- 
lowers, to  which  the  Mahdi  seems  to  belong,  see 
Commandant  Rinn's  book,  Marahout  et  Khouans, 
Algiers,  1884,  p.  173,  et  seq. 

67.  Between  the  Eohi  and  the  MaMm.  The 
jRokn  is  the  famous  black  stone  brought  from  heaven 
by  the  angel  Gabriel,  imbedded  in  the  north-east 
angle  of  the  wall  whence  the  pilgrims  start  for  the 
seven  sacred  turns  round  the  temple.     It  is  said  that 


KOTES.  103 

it  was  at  first  of  a  brilliant  red  and  wonderfully 
transparent;  but  that  it  has  grown  black  under  the 
kisses  of  generations  of  sinners.  The  Makam  or 
MaMm  IbraJiim  is  the  place  where  Abraham  stood 
during  the  construction  of  the  Caaba. 

68.  "  The  traitor  Gordon"  {Daily  N'ews,  February 
14,  1883). 

69.  This  supposition  is  confirmed  by  a  communica- 
tion published  in  the  Standard  for  March  4th,  which 
details  the  adventures  of  four  Christian  prisoners  in 
the  Mahdi's  camp,  and  contains  the  following  pas- 
sage: 

"  To  account,  however,  for  the  stubborn  resistance 
which  one  single  Christian  successfully  opposed  to 
the  Prince  of  the  Faith,  he  was  fain  to  explain  that 
Gordon  was  no  ordinary  unbeliever,  but  the  Anti- 
christ himself,  spoken  of  in  the  prophetic  passages  of 
the  Koran,  whom  the  Mahdi  is  destined  to  overthrow 
before  the  advent  of  the  true  Messiah  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Islamic  millennium." 

This  communication  contains  several  interesting 
details  which  explain  some  of  the  points  already 
touched  upon.  The  prisoners  were  three  Greeks 
and  a  Copt  established  at  Ghedarif,  who,  when  the 
town  was  taken,  were  seized  by  the  rebels. 

"  Their  lives  were  spared  on  condition  that  they 
pronounced  the  Mussulman  confession  of  faith, '  There 
is  no  God  but  God,  and  Mahomet  is  His  Prophet,' 
and  surrendered  all  their  property  and  goods  and 
chattels   to   the   Beit -id- Mai,   or   Public   Treasure 


104  NOTES. 

House.  In  the  presence  of  tlie  Mahdi's  Ameer  they 
were  then  stripped  of  their  semi-European  clothing, 
receiving  in  exchange  a  long  strip  of  white  linen 
stitched  with  green  and  red — the  Mahdi's  colors — to 
wind  round  their  loins  and  throw  over  their  shoulders, 
a  pair  of  leather  sandals  for  their  feet,  and  a  gray 
felt  cap,  round  which  is  wound  a  bit  of  green  and 
red  rag,  to  replace  the  fez.  When  thus  arrayed  in 
the  orthodox  costume  prescribed  by  the  Prophet  of 
the  Soudan  they  were  made  to  recite  the  confession 
of  faith,  and  kiss  the  Ameer's  hands.  Each  of  them 
then  received  from  him  two  spears,  with  which  they 
were  told  to  strike  the  ground  three  times  while 
uttering  the  Sacramental  war-cry  of  the  Mahdi's  fol- 
lowers, *jF/A  zebil  AllaW  ('For  the  cause  of  God'). 
Immediately  after  the  ceremony,  however,  the  spears 
were  taken  away  from  them  again,  probably  from 
prudential  considerations." 

After  a  few  weeks  of  irksome  bondage,  "  they  were 
told  to  proceed  with  the  Ameer  to  the  Mahdi's  camp, 
which  they  joined,  a  few  days'  march  from  Khar- 
toum. The  Mahdi,  who  is  always  styled  by  his  fol- 
lowers *  Se'idna  el  Imaum '  ('  Our  Lord  the  Imaum 
or  Prince  of  the  Faith'),  appears  to  have  received 
them  with  consideration.  A  tent  was  assigned  to 
them,  and  an  allowance  was  made  to  them  of  fifteen 
dollars  a  month  per  head  from  the  BeH-ul-Mal. 
Moreover,  the  Mahdi's  personal  influence  was  always 
exercised  to  protect  them  against  the  ill-will  of  his 
over-zealous  followers,   many   of  whom  were,  as  is 


NOTES.  105 

usual  in  such  cases,  plus  Royalistes  que  le  Hoi. 
Some  of  the  leading  lights  in  the  Mahdi's  camp,  for 
instance,  were  much  scandalized  by  the  fact  that 
these  converts  to  Islam  had  not  been  duly  circum- 
cised, but  the  Mahdi  promptly  silenced  the  grumblers 
by  receiving  an  opportune  revelation  that  circum- 
cision was  not  compulsory  on  adult  converts.  He 
occasionally  favored  them  with  his  conversation,  and 
used  to  make  numerous  inquiries  about  Constanti- 
nople, which,  after  Cairo  and  Mecca,  seems  to  be  the 
goal  of  his  ambition,  though,  as  he  places  it  on  the 
confines  of  Hindostan,  his  geographical  notions  are 
evidently  eccentric." 

Setting  aside  the  liberty  the  Mahdi  takes,  after  the 
example  of  Mahomet,  as  to  the  number  of  his  wives, 
he  submits  to  all  the  privations  which  he  imposes  on 
his  followers.  Tobacco  and  intoxicating  liquors  are 
absolutely  forbidden;  the  sumptuary  laws  are  very 
strict,  and  even  the  possession  of  any  Egyptian  or 
European  article  of  dress  is  punished  with  a  given 
number  of  strokes  from  the  hurhash.  All  taxes, 
even  the  dime  of  the  Koran,  are  abolished,  the  con- 
fiscation of  Christian  property,  contributions  from 
merchants,  and  pillage,  being  made  to  supply  the 
Beit-ul-Mal,  or  public  treasury,  on  which  the  people 
live.  Every  trace  of  administration  has  been  ban- 
ished in  favor  of  the  dictation  of  the  Emirs,  who 
are  generally  relations  or  intimate  friends  of  the 
Mahdi. 

VO.  Or  for  nine  years.     Mahomet  is  supposea  to 


106  '  NOTES. 

have  said:  "  The  Mahcli  shall  be  of  my  people;  if  he 
is  to  make  a  short  stay  (among  you)  he  will  remain 
seven  (years),  if  not  (he  will  remain)  nine.  During 
this  time  my  people  shall  enjoy  well-being  the  like 
of  which  has  never  before  been  known;  the  earth 
shall  produce  everything  that  is  good  to  eat,  and 
shall  refuse  them  nothing^.  Silver  shall  be  as  com- 
mon  as  refuse ;  and  if  any  one  shall  say,  '  Mahdi,  give 
me  something! '  the  Mahdi  shall  reply,  '  Take  what 
you  want'"  {Prole gomenes,  II.  171). 

71.  In  India  also  there  is  an  opening  for  a  Mahdi 
as  there  is  a  Mussulman  population.  A  Mussulman 
Mahdi  would,  moreover,  easily  find  a  hearing  among 
the  Brahmin  population,  for  modern  Brahminism  has 
its  Mahdi — Vishnu  in  his  last  and  not  yet  manifested 
Avatar,  the  Avatar  of  Kalki.  At  the  end  of  time 
Vishnu  is  to  be  born  of  a  priestly  family,  under  the 
name  of  Kalki,  and  he  will  come  on  a  white  horse, 
with  a  flaming  sword  in  his  hand,  to  exterminate  the 
barbarians.  This  conception,  which  does  not  appear 
to  be  of  very  ancient  Indian  origin,  probably  arose 
from  the  Perso-Mussulman  idea  of  a  Messiah — an 
idea  brought  into  India  by  the  conquering  Mussul- 
mans. 

In  1810  a  Mahdi  appeared  at  the  little  town  of 
Kodhan,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Surat.  He  sent  to 
the  governor,  Mr.  Crow,  the  following  missive,  sum- 
moning him  to  become  a  convert: 

"  To  all  counsellors,  and  the  Hakim  of  Surat,  be  it 
known  that  the  Emaumul   Deen  of  the  end  of  the 


NOTES.  107 

world,  or  Emaum  Mehdee,*  has  now  published  him- 
self, and  the  name  of  this  Durveish  is  Ahmnd;  and 
that  in  the  Hindevie  they  call  him  Rajah  Kukluk. 
Be  it  further  known  to  you  that  if  the  Esslaum  (the 
Mahometan  faith)  is  accepted,  it  is  better;  otherwise 
empty  the  town,  or,  on  the  contrary,  you  may  pre- 
pare for  battle.  This  fakir  is  now  come  down  from 
the  fourth  sky,  with  four  bodies,  combining  Adam 
(on  whom  be  peace !),  Essah,  the  son  of  Mariama 
(Jesus,  the  Son  of  Mary),  and  Ahmud  (on  whom  be 
peace  !) ;  and  they  have  all  four  come  upon  one  place; 
they  have  no  guns  nor  muskets  with  them,  but  a 
stick  and  a  handkerchief  are  with  me — be  vourself 
prepared." — Dated  11th  Zilhij,  corresponding  with 
17th  January,  1810.  H.  G.  Briggs,  Cities  of  Gujar- 
dshtrci.     Part  II.,- Appendix. 

The  author  of  this  strange  epistle  was  attacked  at 
Bodhan  by  two  squadrons,  and  killed  with  a  few 
hundred  of  his  followers  fighting  desperately  for  the 
new  faith. 

72.  [John,  the  present  King  of  Abyssinia,  boasts  a 
direct  descent  from  King  Solomon,  and,  although  a 
Christian,  is  so  proud  of  this,  that  he  endeavors  in 
every  possible  way  to  imitate  his  august  ancestor. 
Some  years  ago  he  founded  an  Order  which  he  called 
"  Chatem  Suleiman" — Solomon's  Seal,  and  he  com- 
missioned an  Italian,  Signor  Nardi,  to  execute  for 
him  a  throne  which  was  to  be  an  exact  copy  of  Solo- 


* 


The  Imam  eddin,  the  chief  of  religion,  or  Imam  Malidi. 


108  NOTES. 

mon's  famous  throne,  pictures  of  which  are  extant  in 
Abyssinian  books.  This  throne  has  recently  been 
completed,  and  great  rejoicings  were  held  at  its  in- 
auguration. It  is  made  of  silver  gilt,  as  the  required, 
gold  was  probably  beyond  the  means  of  his  sable 
majesty's  treasury. — A.  S.  B.] 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 

By  Ada  S.  Ballin,  Author  of  a  "  Hebrew  Grammar.' 


A. 

THE  MAHDI  OF  1884-5. 

Of  the  private  life   of   Ahmed   Mohammed,  the 
Mahdi  of  1884,  but  little  is  known.    He  lives  simply, 
and  himself  observes  the  strict  discipline  which  he 
imposes  on   his   followers,   over  whom   he  exercises 
a  paternal  influence.     He,  however,  exceeds  in  the 
number  of  his  wives  the  orthodox  four  prescribed  in 
the  Koran;  but  in  this  he  only  imitates  the  example 
of  Mahomet,  who,  as  far  as  regards  women,  seemed 
rather  to  urge  his  people  to  "  do  as  I  say,  not  as  I 
do,"  on  the  "  preach  but  don't   practise"  principle. 
He  is,  nevertheless,  extremely  consistent  in  support- 
ing his  own  dignity,  and  in  his  endeavors  to  impose 
his  religion  not  only  on  the  Arabs,  but  also  upon 
Europeans.     The  following  letters  will  illustrate  this 
characteristic.     The  first  was  addressed  by  him  to 


11^  APPENDIX. 

the  population  of  Arabia  *  in  the  form  of  a  procla- 
mation : 

"  Before  God  and  the  Prophet,  I  declare  that  I  did 
not  take  up.  the  sword  to  found  a  kingdom  on  earth, 
or  to  gather  treasures  for  myself  and  live  in  a  fine 
palace;  but  to  bring  consolation  and  succor  to  the 
faithful;  to  deliver  them  from  bondage;  and  in  order 
that  the  reign  of  the  Moslems  should  shine  forth 
once  more  in*  its  ancient  splendor.  I  am  therefore 
resolved  to  advance  from  Khartoum  on  Dongola, 
Cairo,  and  Alexandria,  and  in  each  of  those  cities  to 
hand  over  the  power  and  government  to  the  Mos- 
lems, i  shall  march  from  Egypt  to  the  Land  of 
the  Prophet,  to  dVive  out  the  Turks,  who  govern 
no  better  than  the  unbelievers,  and  I  shall  transfer 
the  country,  with  its  two  holy  towns,  to  the  sons  of 
Ismael*.  Be  assured,  O  ye  sons  of  Ismael !  that  in  a 
little  time  I  will  be  with  you,  sword  in  hand." 

The  second  was  brought  to  Sir  Charles  Wilson,  on 
January  29th,  by  a  dervish  bearing  a  flag  of  truce. 
It  ran  thus: 

"The  Mahdi's  Letter. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  merciful  God  !  Thanks  for 
the  honorable  God  and  prayers  be  to  our  Apostle 
Mahomed. 


*  See  Daily  Telegraph,  March  24,  1885. 


APPENDIX. 


113 


"From  the  poor  servant   of    God,   Mohamed   Ei 
Mahdi,  son  of  Abdullah,  to  the  English  officers 
and  the  Shaggieh  and  all  their  followers. 
"  First  thing,  surrender  yourselves  and  you  will  be 
safe.     I  briefly  tell  you,  perhaps  God  will  direct  you 
in  the  way  of  the  righteous.     Let  it  be  known  to  you 
that  the  city  of  Khartoum  and  all  the  neighborhood 
thereof  has  been  destroyed  by  the  power  of  God  Al- 
mighty, which  no  one  can  oppose.     This  thing  was 
done  through  us ;  everything  is  now  in  our  hands.    As 
lono-  as  you  are  a  small  force  and  very  likely  m  our 
han'ds  you  can  do  whatever  you  like,  either  give  your- 
selves up  and  prevent  bloodshed  of  the  servants  of 
the  creatures  of  God,  who  are  in  your  hands,  and  the 
grace  and  the  peace  of  God  and  his  Apostle  will  settle 
upon  you.     If  you  do  not  believe  what  I  have  writ- 
ten, and  you  want  to  know  the  reality  about  Khar- 
toum, send  a  special  messenger  from  yourselves  to 
come  here  and  assure  yourselves  of  the  truth  of  the 
information,  and  the  peace  of  God  and  his  Apostle  be 
with  your  messenger.     We  shall  not  kill  you  till  he 
comes  here  and  sees  all  about  the  matter  for  himself, 
and  we  will  send  him  back  with  a  safe  escort  from  us. 
As  God  says  in  his  precious  Book,  'If  any  of  the  un- 
godly come  to  you,  you  must  keep  him  safely  until 
he  listens  to  the  words  of  God,  and  then  do  for  him 
whatever  he  wishes.'     If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  like 
to  fight,  we  shall  not  oppose  your  wish.     If  it  wei^e 
not  that  we  pity  you,  we  would  not  have  written  this 
letter  to  you.     If  you  yield,  you  should  know  that  the 


114  APPENDIX. 

peace  of  God  will  settle  upon  you,  and  you  will  be 
saved  from  all  hurt.  If  you  do  not  wish  to  yield,  you 
shall  be  punished  in  this  world  and  the  next.  It  is 
known  that  victory  is  for  the  believers.  You  must 
not  be  proud  of  your  steamers  and  many  other  things. 
If  you  do  not  yield  to  my  advice  you  shall  repent. 
You  must  be  quick,  or  your  wings  will  be  cut.  A 
man  who  guides  the  people  in  the  right  way,  God 
will  guide  him  also  aright. 

"  11th  Rabbeah  Tani,  1302. 

"  P.S. — No  God  but  one  God.  Mohamed  is  the 
Apostle  of  God. 

"  Mohamed  El  Mahdi,  Son  of  Abdullah." 

The  Mahdi  has  accomplished  the  nationalization  of 
the  land,  and  abolished  rents  and  taxes,  his  Treasure 
House  (see  note  69)  being  replenished  by  plunder 
from  the  enemy,  property  confiscated  from  "  unbe- 
lievers," voluntary  offerings,  and  forced  contributions, 
chiefly  obtained  from  merchants.  Apparently  he  has 
recently  been  somewhat  in  difticulties  as  regards 
money,  for  a  telegram  from  Dongola  dated  April  20, 
1885,  says: 

"  The  Arabs  on  the  White  Nile,  above  Khartoum, 
are  said  to  be  deserting  the  Mahdi,  who  is  robbing 
every  one  possessed  of  anything  worth  seizing." 

The  rebellion  which  broke  out  against  him  in  the 
early  part  of  April,  under  the  leadership  of  a  Sheikh, 
named  Migummi,  had  its  origin  in  a  quarrel  about 
treasure.     A  telegram  from  Cairo,  dated  April  20th, 


APPENDIX.  115 

stated  that  :  "  The  rebel  troops  have  left  Berti  and 
Sani  for  Berber,  which  is  in  open  rebellion  against  the 
Mahdi." 

It  is  quite  in  harmony  with  what  we  have  learnt 
from  the  preceding  pages,  that  another  Mahdi  should 
arise  to  dispute  the  claims  of  Ahmed  Mohammed,  by 
proclaiming  him  to  be  Deddjld,  the  false  prophet,  who 
is  to  precede  the  true  Mahdi.  This  we  find  had  ac- 
tually happened,  and  a  letter  dated  March  12th,  from 
El-Obeid,  has  been  published  in  an  Arab  newspaper 
describing  the  triumphal  entry  into  that  town  of 
Muley  Hassan  Ali,  the  so-called  Anti-Mahdi.  He 
was  mounted  on  a  white  horse,  holding  a  drawn  sword 
in  his  right  hand,  which  he  declared  to  have  been  given 
to  him  by  Mahomet,  in  order  to  kill  Mohammed 
Ahmed  and  drive  the  Infidels  out  of  Egypt.  He  was 
accompanied  by  the  Dervish  of  El-Obeid,  and  followed 
by  prisoners  and  his  adherents  also  bearing  drawn 
swords.  As  he  passed  along  the  people  bowed  down 
before  him,  kissing  the  ground  and  invoking  blessings 
on  his  head.  He  entered  the  mosque  and  remained 
there  some  time  in  prayer.  During  this  time  a  mound 
of  earth  was  raised  outside,  and  on  it  was  placed  a 
translation  of  the  Koran,  given  by  Mohammed  Ahmed 
to  the  Dervish  of  El-Obeid,  with  injunctions  that  it 
was  to  be  presented  to  Muley  Hassan  Ali,  with  the 
object  of  converting  him. 

"  When  the  Anti-Mahdi  came  out  of  the  mosque  he 
addressed  the  people,  saying  he  hoped  soon  to  fulfil 
the  mission  entrusted  to  him  by  the  Prophet,  and  to 
8 


116  APPENDIX. 

expose  and  punish  the  impostor  who  had  sent  him  a 
false  translation  of  the  Koran.  The  Dervish  then 
handed  him  a  torch,  with  which  he  set  fire  to  the 
document." 

Later  reports  state  that  the  two  Mahdis  have  met 
in  battle  for  the  second  time,  with  the  result  that  the 
original  Mahdi  was  defeated  and  lost  two  of  his  pro- 
vincial  governors.  Should  these  reports  be  true, 
Ahmed  Mohammed  will  soon  go  to  swell  the  list  of 
false  prophets,  and  Muley  Hassan  Ali's  star  will  be  in 
the  ascendant  until  he  in  turn  falls,  to  give  place  to 
another  ;  for,  as  has  already  been  observed,  a  Mahdi 
can  only  exist  as  long  as  he  is  successful. 


B. 

THE    SIEGE    OF    KHARTOUM. 

So  few  have  been  the  particulars  concerning  this 
memorable  siege  which  have  yet  reached  the  British 
public,  that  any  which  appear  are  endow^ed  with  a 
value  perhaps  higher  than  they  intrinsically  merit, 
and  I  therefore  feel  justified  in  quoting  those  which 
have  come  to  hand.  According  to  the  interesting 
article  published  in  the  Standard  for  March  4th  (see 
note  69) — 

"  The  number  of  fighting  men  congregated  before 
Khartoum  seems  to  have  been  very  fluctuating,  sink- 


APPENDIX.  117 

ing  sometimes  to  seven  or  eight  thousand,  and  again 
rising  to  forty  and  fifty  thousand,  according  to  the 
seasons  and  the  requirements  of  agricultural  pursuits, 
as  no  impediment  was  ever  placed  in  the  way  of  their 
going  off,  sometimes  for  weeks  together — the  fella- 
heen to  look  after  their  crops  and  harvests,  the  Be- 
douins to  graze  their  camels,  and  their  flocks  and 
herds.  When  in  camp  their  time  was  wholly  devoted 
to  prayers,  recitations  from  the  Koran,  anci  sham 
fights,  often  on  a  large  scale.  The  actual  number  of 
properly  drilled  and  disciplined  troops,  chiefly  blacks 
from  El-Obeid,  was  relatively  very  small,  nor  did 
they  seem  to  be  implicitly  trusted  by  the  Mahdi.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Dervishes,  as 
the  Mahdi's  true  followers  are  styled,  appeared  to  be 
wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch  by  the  Prophet's 
fervent  preachings,  and  to  be  in  no  way  abated  by 
the  repeated  checks  they  experienced  before  Omdur- 
man." 

Thus  much  for  those  outside  the  city  ;  but  more 
fraught  with  interest  for  the  English  is  what  went  on 
inside  its  walls.  The  military  correspondent  of  the 
Dally  ISfews  was  fortunate  enough  to  encounter  at 
Korti  an  Egyptian  who  had  formed  one  of  the  garri- 
son and  to  obtain  from  him  the  following  narrative 
which  there  is  reason  to  believe  is  authentic* 


*  By  kind  permission  of  the  manager  of  the  Daily  ISeios 
I  am  enabled  to  reprint  the  following  interesting  narrative, 
wliich  appeared  in  the  form  of  letters  published  in  the  issues 
of  that  paper  on  April  16th  and  23d. 


118  APPENDIX. 

"  We  had  a  grand  illumination  the  night  Gordon 
arrived.      If  all  Christians  were  like  him  all  men 
would  become  Nazarah  ;  but  you  do  not  follow  the 
teachings  of  your  own  Prophet  as  we  Mussulmans  do. 
Gordon  told  us  he  had  come  to  save  us.     The  officials 
and  Greeks  illuminated  their  houses  as  you  saw  Khar- 
toum illuminated  on  the  anniversary  of  the  restora- 
tion of  the  '  Effendina '  (Khedive),  and  every  native 
Soudanese,  however  poor,  lit  his  lamp;  but  soon  bad 
tidings  came  day  by  day  of  the  approach  of  the 
cursed   Arabs.      Soon   we   saw  them,  first  in  small 
bodies  at  a  distance,  and  then  in  large  ones.     They 
had  been  hovering  around  us  a  long  time  before  the 
Pacha  arrived.     Kow  Gordon  set  every  man  to  work; 
he  threw  up  a  long  parapet  with  a  deep  trench  from 
the  Bahr-el-Abiad  to  the  Bahr-el-Azrek,  and  he  built 
round  towers  on  it  and  made  one  iron  gate.     He  did 
not   turn   out   Arabs   from    dwelling  in  Khartoum; 
there  were  none  there,  though  we  had  many  traitors. 
They  were  known  to  the  Pacha,  but  he  said,  *  Let 
them   alone;    at   the   end   they  shall   be   punished.' 
Among  these  was  the  principal  baker.     At  first  na- 
tives used  to  bring  in  provisions  every  day  through 
the  gate  Gennet,  in  the  Mogr   quarter,  near  Gennet- 
el-Noor  (the  Garden  of  Light).     The  boats  crossed 
over  there  by  the  dockyard,  and  brought  from  the 
country  all  sorts  of  provisions.    You  remember  when 
you  lay  sick  at  Gordon's  old  house  over  the  post- 
office,  how  refreshing  was  the  sight  at  early  morning 
of  boatloads  of  huge  sweet  water-melons.    The  boats 


APPENDIX.  119 

continued  to  bring  across  their  cargoes  for  the  two 
months  when  melons  are  in  season  (May  and  June). 
What  splendid  piles  they  made  on  the  shore  !  No 
wonder  you  were  tempted  to  eat  of  them,  in  spite  of 
the  order  of  Georgio  Demetrio,  the  doctor.  I  tell  you, 
he  remained  at  Khartoum  to  the  last.  Many  houses 
belonged  to  him,  and  he  had  families  by  three  wives. 
Gordon  used  to  say  to  all  who  wanted  to  leave,  *Stay, 
my  friends.  The  English  are  coming.'  That  hand- 
some girl  of  sixteen,  his  daughter,  remained;  so  did 
the  German  tailor,  Herr  Klein,  and  his  wife  and 
pretty  daughter.  He  had  resided  twenty-five  years 
there.  I  cannot  say  who  the  European  women  were 
that  left  in  the  steamer  with  Colonel  Stewart,  or 
whether  any  did. 

"Soon  after  Gordon's  arrival  Sheikh  Wad-abou- 
Gurgy  made  three  forts  opposite  Khartoum  on  the 
Bahr-el-Azrek ;  for  the  time  was  now  at  hand  when 
we  were  to  be  beleaguered.  In  these  he  placed  three 
cannon,  for  his  designs  were  evil — he  was  rebellious. 
These  forts  were  near  the  gardens  of  Boussi,  and  now 
he"piled  up  outside  great  pyramids  of  dhoora,  three 
times  higher  than  the  forts  themselves.  When  these 
things  were  related  to  Gordon  in  the  early  morn  (for 
these  piles  were  made  at  night)  he  despatched  three 
steamers,  the  Boudam^  the  Mansoua,  and  the  Tala- 
hoicen;  these  fired  first  ball,  then  shell,  to  knock 
down  walls,  and  they  succeeded.  Mahomet  Ali 
Pacha,  commanding  ships,  ran  ashore,  and  landed 
troops,  while  shrapnel  was  covered  to  command  their 


120  APPENDIX. 

advance.  The  black  soldiers  then  stormed  the  fort, 
while  the  Bashi-Bazouks  took  the  outer  circle.  Many 
Arabs  were  killed,  and  all  the  dhoora  captured  and 
ammunition.  After  Moulid  (anniv.  birth  Mahomet) 
Wad  Sheikh  El  Obeid  came  opposite  Khartoum  to 
the  other  side  of  Bahr-el-Azrek,  and  encamped  on 
this  isle.  Gordon  Pacha  sent  for  the  troops  under 
Hassein  Abraham  and  ^lahomet  Abu  Said,  w^ho  had 
been  made  pachas  by  Gordon  Pacha.  You  remem- 
ber large  domes  seen  from  your  window  over  the 
Post-office — taib;  those  were  sepulchres  of  mighty 
sheikhs  of  former  days.  One  Englishman  was  buried 
there  too.  Why  not  ?  Directly  we  landed  we 
formed  a  four-deep  square,  such  a  formation  as  you 
know  we  always  kept  when  marching  with  Hicks 
Pacha.  Was  it  ever  broken  when  we  marched  from 
Rawa  to  Gebelain  ?  You  know  it  was  not — taib. 
Even  so  w^e  marched  boldly  from  shore.  One  gun  is 
at  an  angle  of  the  square.  They  charged  us  furious- 
ly; but,  ha!  how  they  scampered  !  Shattered  was 
that  great  band  of  rebels  !  It  was  near  that  spot  we 
did  battle  with  the  rebel;  the  place  was  called  Ma- 
laah.  It  was  higher  uj)  than  the  island  of  Tuti.  We 
had  500  men.  Now  I  must  tell  you  of  a  wicked  act 
of  treachery.  Landing  from  the  steamers  we  at  once 
attack  the  enemy.  They  run,  routed,  on  account  of 
our  furious  fire;  but  now^  what  I  have  to  relate  fills 
ray  heart  with  grief.  The  traitor  Abraham  takes  off 
his  tarbash,  puts  it  in  his  breast,  from  which  he  takes 
a  dervish's  cap,  putting  it  on  his  head.     Next  to  this 


APPENDIX.  121 

what  does  he  do  ?  He  gallops  up  to  the  bugler,  and 
tells  him  to  sound  the  'kus-rah'  ('retreat';  this  in 
military  Turkish  signifies  defeat).  The  brave  boy- 
refused,  and  said,  'Pacha,  we  are  not  defeated;  and 
I  will  not  sound  as  you  order.'  Then  he  cleaves  the 
brave  boy's  head  with  his  scimitar,  and  smites  others 
who  would  not  turn.  Now,  when  our  enemies  see 
these  things  come  to  pass,  they,  who  had  been  in  fear 
and  trembling,  gain  heart,  return,  and  attack  us 
again.  We  become  disorganized — why  not  ?  We 
fly  back  to  the  outworks  and  huts  we  had  left,  close 
to  the  cemetery.  But  we  did  not  let  the  traitorous 
Pacha  escape.  We  circle  round  his  horse  and  com- 
pel him  to  retire  with  us;  much  does  he  struggle,  beg, 
and  protest;  he  had  endeavored  to  escape;  but  es- 
cape for  him  was  not.  I  cannot  tell  you  what  the 
other  Pacha  did;  I  did  not  observe;  but  this  man — 
maledictions  on  his  soul !  ma  yeshuf  el  noem — may 
he  never  see  luxury  !  (paradise) — slew  several  of  our 
soldiers.  But  we  were  too  quick  for  him;  we  brought 
him  back,  bound  hand  and  foot. 

"Now  all  these  things  (continued  my  informant), 
and  how  the  traitorous  Pacha  had  been  the  cause  of 
our  disgrace,  Gordon  Pacha  had  spied  from  the  top 
of  his  house.  He  was  much  grieved;  and  when  the 
wicked  Pachas,  who  were  both  guilty,  were  brought 
bound,  as  I  said,  hand  and  foot  before  him,  he  spake 
never  a  word  except  '  Away  with  them  ! '  He  was 
reading  Holy  Writ  at  the  time.  They  were  tried  by 
court-martial,  and  sentenced  to  death.     Seven  days 


t22  APPENDIX. 

afterwards  they  were  executed  in  the  inner  yard,  near 
the  large  square  of  the  prison.  They  were  hewn  in 
pieces  by  a  halbert.  I  saw  the  execution,  so  it  is  of 
no  use  your  saying  '  they  were  shot.'  I  tell  you,  ac- 
cording to  Turkish  military  law,  a  military  traitor  is 
always  sentenced  to  be  cut  to  pieces.  The  two  were 
l)ound  up  against  the  wall  by  chains  and  rings.  Two 
soldiers  armed  with  sharp  hatchets  approached  them 
from  out  of  the  sides  of  the  square  we  had  formed. 
The  prisoners'  crime  was  read  out,  and  their  sentence. 
A  hundred  soldiers  were  present,  some  senior  officers, 
but  not  Gordon  Pacha.  The  senior  Bey  cried  out,  '  Ex- 
ecutioners perform  sentence  on  the  traitors  ! '  Imme- 
diately these  advanced  close,  and  lopped  off  first  their 
arms  above  the  elbows,  then  the  legs  above  the  knees, 
then  cut  their  bodies  in  twain,  then  decapitated  them. 
They  died  not  till  they  were  cut  asunder;  then  their 
heads  fell  on  their  breasts,  and  they  expired  with  a 
hideous  yell.  Surely  their  fate  was  deserved  !  I  can- 
not say  whether  Gordon  Pacha  knew  of  this  manner 
of  execution.  I  tell  you  this  is  the  Turkish  mode  of 
punishing  military  traitors,  and  it  is  a  just  punishment. 
"  You  would  like  to  know  the  story  of  our  lives 
from  day  to  day,  but  every  day  was  like  yester- 
day, and  yesterday  and  to-day  like  to-morrow;  there- 
fore perhaps  I  do  not  tell  you  correctly  in  order  as 
things  occurred.  Who  could  ?  There  were  days  and 
nights  of  watching;  we  were  like  dogs  guarding 
sheepfolds  from  the  wolf  or  hyena;  but  we  were 
not  down-hearted.     Gordon  kept  saying  to  us,  '  Pa- 


APPENDIX.  123 

tience,  the  English  are  coming— are  coming,  God 
watches  over  you,'  He  was  a  good  man,  '  My  faith 
in  God  never  fails,'  he  said;  'neither  let  yours.'  In 
the  morning  the  band  would  play  to  him  early  as  he 
used  to  sit  in  the  kiosque  you  will  remember  across 
the  road  at  the  wall,  over  the  Nile.  He  took  his 
coffee  there;  he  then  walked  up  and  down  on  the  top 
of  his  house.  After  this  he  commenced  the  business 
of  the  day  in  the  rooms  of  the  first  story  of  the  Pal- 
ace. Many  officials  now  visited  him;  among  others 
the  big  European  Doctor,  Macolopo  Bey,  the  Austrian 
and  French  Consuls,  Georgio  Demetrio  (the  Doctor), 
the  Mudir  of  the  Mudireah,  Ali  Jeleb,  and  the  Vakeel 
Mahomet  Abdullah.  The  former  stayed  to  the  last; 
the  other  was  killed  with  Gordon.  Then  came  the 
chief  butchers  and  bakers.  Often  a  woman  visited 
him  called  Zenoba.  She  was  very  wealthy;  she  used 
to  pay  into  the  Mudireah  some  sixty  or  seventy 
thousand  dollars  at  a  time;  lent  to  Government 
on  Gordon's  security  or  note  of  hand.  She  owned 
many  shops,  mills,  and  nuggars.  She  was  an  Egyp- 
tian, wife  of  Hadj  Mahomet,  wood-turner.  Suleiman 
Esyah,  too,  a  chief  merchant  in  Khartoum,  used  to 
lend  money.  He  occupied  two  houses  in  the  upper 
market.  After  this,  at  mid-day,  Gordon  Pacha  took 
his  lunch.  Business  was  renewed  in  the  afternoon. 
At  evening  time  he  would  ride  along  the  intrench- 
ments  from  Blue  to  White  Nile.  The  enemy  were 
always  firing  in  a  desultory  way.  By  accident  peo- 
ple used  to  be  hit  day  after  day. 


324  APPENDIX. 

"Soldiers   lined   the  trenches  all  day  and  night. 
There  were  four  guns  there,  two  pointing  towards 
Bahr  Ahead,  one  facing  from  the  iron  gate  near  the 
cemetery,  one  facing  the  village  of  Burdi.     Of  the 
crowds  of   blacks  you  speak  of  living  in  the  poor 
quarters   of  Khartoum  Gordon   made  soldiers.     All 
men  were  compelled  to  carry  arms,  regular  soldiers 
got  rations- of  dhoora,  the  others  got  Government  bis- 
cuit.    We  were  always  expecting,  from  dawn  to  sun- 
set, from  sunset  to  dawn,  the  arrival  of  the  English. 
Whenever  we  heard  news  of  them  our  hearts  rejoiced. 
The  Arabs  have  a  fear  of  the  English,  dating  back 
from  the  time  of  Arabi's  defeat.     They  believe  they 
carry  with  them  a  piece  of  wood  which  they  can  ex- 
tend to  any  height,  that  up  this  they  climb,  and  spy 
their  enemies  at  any  distance.*     Now  this  I  tell  you, 
their  terror  of  you  is  so  great  that  they  will  never 
face  you  again.     The  sheikhs  have  informed  Mahomet 
Achmet  that  unless  he  leads  them  forth  to  do  battle 
they  will  not  fight;  this  is  since  the  battle  of  Abou 
Tlea — not  Klea — as  you  called  it.     All  were  at  first 
loyal  in  Khartoum,  except  a  few  of  the  head  men — 
such  as  the  chief  baker  and  butcher;  but  Gordon, 
who  well  knew  these  men  to  be  traitors,  said,  '  Suffer 
them  to  remain  on  at  their  work;  we  will  show  them 
what  justice  is  when  the  English  come.'     As   time 
wore  on  and  provisions  were  become  short  by  reason 
of  the  strictness  of  the  siege — for   the  Arabs  were 


*  This  idea  tbey  get  probably  from  the  Heliograph. 


APPEN^DIX.  3  25 

closing  around — Gordon  sent  away  all  the  old  men 
and  women  who  were  unable  to  work,  out  of  Khar- 
toum; they  were  afraid  to  go  at  first,  but  Gordon 
gave  them  an  introduction  to  Mahomet  Achmet,  writ- 
ing as  follows:  'Be  kind  to  these;  treat  them  well,  I 
charge  you.  Behold,  I  have  kept  and  fed  all  these 
for  four  months;  try  how  you  will  like  doing  so  for 
one  month.'  *  Mahomet  Achmet  accepted  them,  and 
they  are  with  him  to  this  day. 

"As  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  Tou  el  Kebeah  (great 
flood);  as  it  will  be  at  El  Achrah  (last  day);  as  it 
has  often  been  when  in  cities  of  the  earth  enemies 
have  been  knocking  at  the  gate  without,  they  bought 
and  sold;  they  married  and  were  given  in  marriage; 
yes,  there  were  the  usual  nuptial  rejoicings — the  bride 
soon,  alas,  to  be  sold  into  slavery!  Mashallah!  It  was 
their  kismet.  There  were  the  same  gatherings  round 
fires  you  remember  witnessing  when  the  Ihrunnahgah 
(dancing  girls)  danced  in  the  middle  their  ghan-ah- 
ghat  to  the  tune  of  the  terbukat.  The  festivities  and 
feastings  took  place  nightly.     The  Soudanese  are  a 


*  This  was  told  me  on  two  different  occasions  by  more  than 
three  Bishareeu  Arabs  who  had  come  from  Ondermau— the 
same  who  told  me  of  Gordon's  fights;  but  it  was  thought  most 
improbable  by  the  military  authorities— and  it  was  not  thought 
desirable  to  telegraph  this.  I  therefore  withdrew  the  news 
from  my  telegram.  I  have  since  had  confirmation  of  this  from 
good  authorities  who  were  in  Khartoum,  and  who  told  me  of 
this  unasked.  I  am  aware  there  is  no  mention  of  this  in  Gor- 
don's diary. 


126  APPENDIX. 

iight-hearted  people  even  when  a  cloud  hangs  over 
them.  You  would  have  thought  nothing  was  going 
amiss.  It  is  true  they  believed  the  English  were 
coming.  Spirits  were  sold  at  high  prices;  date-spirit 
two  reals  a  pint  bottle;  vermouth,  two  and  a  half. 
Meanwhile  nothing  was  bought  from  outside;  noth- 
ing brought  in.  The  town  was  surrounded  before 
the  big  feast,  Eade-el-Kebar. 

"  I  cannot    say  when,  for  one  day  was  the  same 
as  the  other,  but  one  day  Gordon  saw  coming  from 
afar  two  foot-messengers  across  the  desert  from  the 
Bahr  Abiad  from  opposite  El  Kalakli.     He  ordered 
the  sentinels  to  let  them  pass  in  peace.     They  waved 
a  white  flag,  and   cried,  '  Salamu  ah  la  cum.'     They 
said  they  were    ambassadors  from  Wad-el-Jumraa, 
Ameer  of  Mahomet  Achmet.     We  replied  in  words 
signifying,  '  Peace  and  mercy  of  God.'     Gordon  had 
them  escorted  to  the   Palace,  and  made  them    par- 
take of   coffee,  and  sit  down  on  a  carpet  prepared 
for    them,  as  is    the  custom.      They  produced  two 
dervishes'  coats  and  one  cap,  a  rosary,  and  sandals. 
'  These,'    said    they,    '  are   sent  by   Wad-el- Jumma, 
Ameer  of  our  Lord,  the  long-expected  one.'     They 
had  a  letter  beginning  '  Hod  dale  wah  dolan.'     This 
was  the  sense  of  it:  '  Take  these  and  Islam,  and  go 
home  to  your  country — you  and  the  sons  of  Errect 
(Egypt),  and  leave  Soudan  (Country  of  the  Blacks) 
to  its  relations  (literal) ;  and  on  you  be  the  safety  of 
God  and  the  Prophet;  and  we  will  lower  you  (let 
you  down)  with  safety  {I.e.,  in   good  faith).'     Gor- 


APPENDIX.  127 

don  took  these  things  and  gave  them  a  koflan  (robe), 
pair  of  boots,  tarbash  (red  fez  with  blue  tassel),  and 
waist-vest,  typical  of  Egyptian  costume,  saying, 
'  Give  these  to  Wad-el-Jumma.  Tell  him,  Islam 
enter  the  Government,  as  you  are  a  coward  (literally 
man  frightened).'  He  added,  '  The  other  man  is  a 
clever  man  and  brave.'  These  men  were  dressed  as 
dervishes.  Gordon  gave  them  twenty-five  dollars 
backshesh.  As  they  left  they  said,  '  Remember  we 
have  plenty  of  soldiers  and  Arabs.'  At  this  time 
Mahomet  Achmet  was  at  El-Obeid.  The  *  other 
man,'  he  alluded  to,  Wad-Abou-Gergee,  had  brought 
1,000  men  to  Gordon.  Before  this  Gordon  went  out 
to  fight  him,  and  beat  him  near  the  outer  gardens  of 
Bouri;  he  took  all  their  dhoora  and  arms.  Wad- 
Abou-Gergee  kept  on  writing  to  Gordon,  negotiating 
a  surrender.  These  1,000  soldiers  got  into  Khar- 
toum. Why  did  he  not  come  in  himself  ?  Because 
he  stayed  out  to  entice  others  in — mixed  Egyptians, 
Soudanese,  and  Turkish  soldiers  drilled  by  Turks. 
But  Wad-Abou-Gergee  was  played  a  shabby  trick 
by  two  men,  Soudanese,  named  Wade  Jerkock,  a 
merchant,  and  Wad-ma-quoi,  chief  butcher.  These 
wrote  to  Wad-el-Jumma,  saying,  *  O  Sheikh,  Wad- 
Abou-Gergee  has  given  the  Turks  1,000  men  and 
arms  (all  Egyptians  are  called  Turks).'  When  Wad- 
el-Jumma  read  this  he  was  wroth,  and,  catching 
Wad-Abou-Gergee,  enchained  him.  The  messengers 
were  dismissed  at  the  gate  Bawabit-el-Mussel  La- 
mieh;  Gordon  made  it  near  Boussi. 


128  APPENDIX. 

"I  would  now  tell  you  of  the  battle  of  El-effoon, 
two  days'  march  towards  Sennaar.  Sheikh  El-Obeid 
(?),  Mahomed  All  Pacha,  commanded.  I  went  up 
with  the  soldiers  to  battle  with  500  Bashi-Bazouks. 
On  the  first  day  we  found  Arabs  in  a  building,  and 
drove  them  out.  On  the  second  day  we  were  march- 
ing up  to  a  village  called  Omdoban  (Mother  of 
Flies).  We  attacked  the  rebels  under  a  dervish,  and 
firing  killed  many.  But  we  were  charged  by  cavalry 
and  foot.  Many  of  us  were  then  slain.  Abou  Ger- 
gee  and  Wed  Nejum  (Son  of  the  Stars)  encamped 
on  the  sand  south  of  Khartoum.  Three  months 
after  Gordon  arrived  these  men  sat  down  before  the 
place.  Two  sorties  were  made,  and  many  of  them 
killed.  During  this  time  we  got  forage  for  our 
horses  from  Tuti.  Our  guns  could  play  on  the 
island.  From  there,  too,  melons  and  cucumbers  were 
brought.  And  now  I  would  tell  you  about  the 
steamers.  One  plied  between  the  rocks — En  Mogrin 
and  Khartoum — with  one  gun.  The  Arabs  intended 
putting  wires  across  the  river  at  Gebel  Ain;  but  the 
force  of  the  water  broke  these.  Gordon  did  not  cut 
them.  Behind  the  trenches  were  tents,  one  for 
twenty-four  men;  one  man  kept  guard  at  the  trench 
for  the  twenty-four;  thus  we  lived,  eat,  drank,  slept, 
prayed,  day  and  night. 

"  We  were  besieged  thrice,  and  thrice  we  defeated 
the  enemy.  We  killed  many  when  we  attacked  Om- 
durman,  but  more  came  on  like  swarms  of  flies. 
Having  killed  some,  their  numbers  were  forthwith 
trebled. 


APPENDIX.  120 

"  I  forgot  to  say  how  Omdurman  was  taken  from 
us.  It  was  thus:  Hicks  Pacha  built  a  big  trench 
round  it — well,  perhaps  it  was  there  when  you  came. 
Gordon  built  an  inner  one;  or  perhaps  it  was  the 
reverse.  At  any  rate  there  were  two  rings.  The 
rebels  crept  in  between  the  two  and  were  thus  pro- 
tected. Then  they  cut  off  the  little  garrison's  water. 
Thus  was  Omdurman  taken. 

"  Gordon  lived  alone  with  his  servant  in  his  pal- 
ace. Power  Bey  lived  in  the  Genesi  (church  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  mission)  to  guard  the  ammunition 
which  was  kept  in  the  cloisters.  He  superintended 
the  making  of  powder.  Colonel  Stewart  used  to 
superintend  the  taking  out  of  the  powder  and  its  dis- 
tribution, and  was  also  engaged  in  looking  out. 
Such  was  our  daily  occupation  in  that  city,  whose 
kismet  was  already  written. 

"Yes;  they  used  to  fish,  as  in  your  time,  with 
hooks  and  nets,  and  catch  those  great  fish  with  heads 
like  cats  and  long  whiskers — the  kabaross.  (This  is 
a  common  fish  in  the  Upper  Nile;  they  call  it  'cat- 
fish,' from  its  head,  I  believe.  It  is,  I  think,  a  kind 
of  barbel,  and  when  dressed  well  is  of  a  very  fair 
taste.)  You  could  put  one  on  a  homar  (ass).  You 
could  rest  its  head  on  the  donkey's  head,  and  its  tail 
on  the  animal's  tail.  There  was  also  the  el  edgil 
(calf -fish). 

"  We  had  still  tobacco  and  shoes,  for  there  were 
shoemakers  in  the  city.  We  strolled  when  off  duty 
through  the  bazaar  as  usual.     Some  would  gamble 


130  APPENDIX. 

with  dominoes;  some  drink  merissa,  and  the  young 
men  would  dress  to  please  the  young  girls — with 
cane  under  arm  and  cigarette  in  mouth.  Bargains 
would  be  struck,  and  houses  sold,  as  if  the  end  was 
not.  I  am  told  it  has  been  so  with  great  cities  in 
time  of  siege.  It  was  so,  a  Jew  told  me,  with  his 
city  in  Syria.  Do  not  blame  me  when  I  dwell  on 
this:  I  am  a  different  man.  Have  I  not  lost  a  wife — 
I  had  only  one — and  children  ?  With  the  young 
girls,  too,  there  was  plaiting  of  hair  and  anointing 
with  butter,  and  ornamenting  necks,  ankles,  and 
arms  with  gold  chains  and  shells.  They  would  sit 
in  the  bazaar  selling  onions  and  eggs  and  melons,  and 
butter  and  sweetmeats  up  to  the  day  I  left,  and 
would  laugh  and  joke  with  their  admirers,  and  court- 
ship would  go  on,  like  butterflies,  heedless. 

"  We  went  to  mosque,  too,  crowds  of  us,  and  the 
*  zikkah  '  was  said  (in  remembrance).  We  pray  for 
departed  spirits — that  they  may  be  in  luxury.  Why 
not? 

^'  Gordon's  paper  notes  went  round  like  cash.  They 
were  looked  upon  as  money.  They  were  mostly  one- 
piastre  notes  ;  others  for  five  and  ten  piastres  (a  real, 
or  guinea)  up  to  five  hundred  piastres.  All  mine  are 
gone.  I  spent  them  in  the  desert,  where  I  would  buy 
water,  a  cup  for  ten  piastres. 

"The  schools  went  on  as  usual,  Mohammedan;  also 
at  the  Genesi,  till  the  priests  (Italian)  left.  The  little 
German  tailor,  Klein,  remained  till  the  last;  twenty- 
five  years  had  he  resided  in  Khartoum.     His  wife  and 


APPENDIX.  131 

four  daiigliters  remained  too.     They  did  not  go  with 
Stewart,  I  am  sure. 

"  There  were  several  white  women  there  when  I 
left — daughters  of  Europeans  by  Abyssinian  wives, 
whom  they  had  bought.  There  were  two  or  three 
ladies  at  the  Austrian  Consul's.  I  think  all  these  had 
so  many  family  ties  they  would  not  leave  ;  besides, 
Gordon  always  said,  '  The  English  are  coming.' 

"I  do  not  know  that  your  coming  would  have 
altered  matters  ;  for  this  I  tell  you  advisedly — the 
will  of  God  says  it. 

"  There  were  traitors  in  our  midst  ;  they  met  and 
took  counsel  together  against  Gordon  Pacha.  He 
was  warned,  but  said,  '  Suffer  it  to  be  so.' 

"  The  plan  was  to  deliver  over  the  city  whenever 
the  English  drew  near.  The  number  of  traitors  in- 
creased daily  as  they  got  hopeless.  Another  thing, 
and  this  decided  many:  after  the  battle  of  Abou  Tlea 
the  rebels  went  down  and  collected  all  the  helmets 
they  could  find.  They  showed  these  to  us,  waving 
them  outside  the  trenches  and  saying,  'Thus  and 
thus  have  we  eaten  up  the  Feringhees.'  Thus  even 
faithful  men  were  sorely  tempted  and  became  sick  at 
heart. 

"At  night  the  enemy  used  to  be  often  at  the  south 

end,  at  speaking  distance  ;  and  we  used  to  revile  each 

other.     We  were  called  the  cursed  rebels  who  speak 

evil  of  the  fathers  and  mothers  to  the  third  and  fourth 

generation.     We  would   call   them   'sons   of   dogs' 

(wadho  kelps)  (I  should  think  our  word  whelp  comes 
9 


132  APPENDIX. 

from  this),  and  shout,  '  Allah  bou  rou  Gehenna,  ye 
rebellious  ones  ;  malediction  on  your  fathers  ;  depart 
to  Gehenna  ; '  and  they  would  answer,  'Ye  are  slaves 
of  the  Infidels  ;  ye  too  are  Infidels,  as  you  do  not  be- 
lieve in  our  book.  We  will  eat  you  up,  and  wipe  you 
from  the  face  of  the  earth  of  Allah.' 

"  Thus  and  thus  did  we  call  out  to  each  other  dur- 
ing the  long  night. 

*'  The  English  stayed  too  long  at  Matumna  ;  per- 
haps had  they  gone  on  at  once  the  gates  would  not 
have  been  opened  ;  but  still  I  tell  you  treachery  was 
planned  long  before.  The  rebels  came  over  at  night ; 
or  at  any  rate  before  dawn,  when  Tenza  and  another 
opened  the  gate. 

"The  last  river  trip  was  made  by  Tujerat  Ma- 
haba.  He  had  on  board  two  Krupj)  guns.  He  started 
at  seven  a.m.  ;  at  ten  he  met  a  nuggar  full  of  rebels. 
They  had  a  gun.  They  fired  at  each  other  for  an 
hour.  At  last  the  rebel  boat  sunk.  He  was  still 
under  a  heavy  fire  till  he  reached  Shembat.  At 
Bou  the  rebels  had  one  Krupp,  four  guns  higher  up, 
and  one  mitrailleuse  or  Nordenf  eldt.  He  ran  aground. 
Here  he  is — he  will  tell  you  the  story." 

A  tall,  stout  black  here  entered  my  tent  (writes  the 
correspondent),  and  kissed  my  hand.  He  wore  naval 
uniform — three  stripes  on  arm,  and  Gordon's  medal. 

"  Ha  !"  I  said,  referring  to  these,  "  you  at  least  have 
kept  yours."  The  others  had  been  selling  their  lead 
medals  given  by  Gordon  in  camp.  I  deprecated  this 
much  ;  but  the  reply  I  invariably  met  with  was — "If 
I  don't  buy  it,  some  one  else  will." 


APPENDIX.  133 

*'I,"  said  the  captain  (he  was  the  chief  of  all  the 
boats),  "  would  not  part  with  mine  for  £1,000."  He 
continued  ; 

"  The  last  words  Gordon  said  were,  *  Bring  the 
English  when  you  come  back,  if  only  three  or  four;' 
but  I  was  never  to  see  him  more.  I  have  left  my  wife 
and  children  at  Khartoum!  He  has  told  you  I  sank 
the  rebel  vessel.  Well,  I  was  fired  at  from  all  direc- 
tions. I  rammed  her.  I  had  150  soldiers  on  board; 
she  had  plenty.  Down  they  all  went — it  was  a  glori- 
ous sight !  None  escaped.  On  passing  Rezaree  I 
was  fired  at  by  150  riflemen,  but  continued  my  voy- 
age till  I  got  to  Gebel-el-Sheikh-el-Taeb  (the  good 
Sheikh).  The  shots  fell  short.  On  the  river,  near 
Mashed-el-Hamar  (donkey's  pasture) — six  hours  from 
Khartoum — I  went  upon  a  rock;  then  three  mountain 
guns  opened  fire  on  me.  Three  hours  afterwards 
three  steamers  came,  the  Boudain,  Telehowah 
Tepagny^  and  Sophia.  Troops  were  landed,  and  we 
killed  many  Arabs.  I  used  to  be  captain  of  Hicks 
Pacha's  ship,  and  flew  the  Pacha's  flags.  Many 
times  I  have  taken  you  down  to  Omdurman,  and  I  saw 
you  up  at  Kowa,  but  you  were  on  shore.  General 
Hicks  was  very  kind,  but  I  was  a  small  Reiss  then. 
If  Gordon  had  lived  I  should  have  become  as  high  as 
this  tree — pooh!  I  have  left  a  thousand  of  Gordon's 
notes  at  Khartoum  with  my  family,  and  all  my  clothes. 

"  Latterly  the  chief  men  of  the  town  were  traitors; 
all  were  concerned  in  opening  the  gates.  They  were 
afraid  of  starving.     This  I  tell  you,  and  I  do  not  lie. 


134  APPENDIX. 

All  the  white  and  all  the  black  women  are  now  made 
slaves.  My  poor  wife,  I  shall  never  see  her  again. 
When  I  say  white  I  mean  also  those  whose  mothers 
were  Abyssinian  and  fathers  European,  and  there  were 
some  Turkish  ladies  who  wore  the  achmet,  wives  of 
officers;  all  will  now  be  slaves.  I  have  finished.  I 
must  leave  you." 

He  had  to  present  himself  to  Captain  Baker,  R.N., 
who  himself  was  with  Sir  Samuel  Baker  up  the  Nile. 

Sergeant-Major  Hannoar,  of  the  Commissariat,  was 
enabled  to  assist  in  interpreting,  he  having  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  language,  as  they  spoke.  He  is  the 
clever  son  of  a  missionarv,  and  was  born  near  Jerusa- 
lem.  He  is  extremely  able,  speaking  five  languages. 
I  trust  he  may  rise,  as  a  useful  man  such  as  he  is 
not  met  with  every  day. 

My  interview  for  the  time  was  now  over,  and  the 
two  gallant  men  took  their  departure,  seeming  de- 
pressed and  sorrowful.  These  men  had  a  genuine 
love  for  Gordon;  yon  could  feel  this  in  every  word 
when  they  referred  to  him.  "  Ah !"  they  would  ejacu- 
late, "no  one  like  him  on  this  earth." 


THE    END» 


WHAT  SOCIAL  CUSSES  OWE  TO 

EACH  OTHER. 

By  William  Graham  SuxMner,  Professor  of  Political  and  So- 
cial Science  in  Yale  Colleo-e.     16nio,  Cloth,  00  cents. 

There  is  uo  page  of  the  book  that  is  not  weighty  with  nieaniii"-. 
The  argument  tbat  runs  through  it  is  like  a  chain,  strongl^^  weld- 
ed, link  on  to  link.  *  *  *  Prof.  Sumner  gives  clear,  pointed,  and 
powerful  utterance  to  much  social  and  political  Avisdom.  Tlie 
teaching  of  the  book  is  just  of  that  sort  which  is  most  needed  by 
the  young  America  of  to-day. — Boston  Commonwealth. 

Tlie  conclusions  be  reaches  are  substantially  unanswerable.  *  *  * 
No  more  important  doctrine  than  this  can  well  be  proclaimed,  and 
our  country  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  whoever  will  proclaim 
it  in  the  sturdy  style  of  this  book.  We  need  not  despair  of  the 
Republic  w^hile  our  young  men  are  fed  upon  such  meat  as  this. 
Whether  they  adopt  his  conclusions  or  not,  tliey  cannot  fail  to  be 
stinuilated  by  his  reasoning. — The  Nation, 'N.Y. 

Prof.  Sunnier  has  selected  a  subject  of  great  interest  and  impor- 
tance, and  has  treated  it  with  ingenuity,  penetration,  and  original- 
ity, and  in  a  plain,  homely,  pungent,  and  elfective  style. — Brooklyn 
Union. 

His  little  book  is  full  of  excellent  maxims  of  conduct  formed  on 
the  manly  principle  of  doing  hard  work  and  letting  everybody 
have  a  fair  chance.  *  *  *  These  eleven  short  chapters  are  undoubt- 
edly the  ablest  of  recent  contributions  to  matters  on  which  much^ 
unprofitable  ink  is  spent. — X.  Y.  Times. 

This  volume  contains  a  most  instructive  discussion  of  certain 
economic  questions  which  are  of  living  interest  touching  upon  the 
duties  of  the  State  to  classes  or  individuals  embraced  in  it. — Boston 
Glohe. 

The  style  is  bright  and  racy,  and  the  argument  is  alloAved  to  lose 
none  of  its  force  by  the  use  of  technical  terms.  The  book  is  sug- 
gestive, and  will  be  found  helpful  to  those  who  desire  to  reach  cor- 
rect conclusions  on  subjects  of  practical  importance.— C/i>/s^/((H  at 
Work,  N.  Y. 

Prof.  Sumner  has  enforced  in  very  few  and  very  simple  words 
some  of  the  most  important  and  most  neglected  principles  of  polit- 
ical and  social  economy  ;  has  exposed,  with  temperate  but  none  the 
less  telling  sarcasm,  the  most  absurd  but  not  least  popular  crotchets 
of  modern  philanthropic  Gnthnaiasm.— Saturday  Eevieiv,  London. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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AMERICAN  POLITICAL  IDEAS 


J 


Viewed  from  the  Standpoint  of  Universal  History.     By  John 
FiSKE.     pp.  158.     12rao,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

Mr.  Fiske  is  one  of  the  few  Americans  who  is  able  to  exercise 
a  dispassionate  jn<lgnient  upon  questions  which  have  been  the 
cause  of  quarrels  between  parties  and  sections.  Mr.  Fiske  has  a 
calm  way  of  considering  our  modern  ideas  from  the  standpoint 
of  universal  history'. — N.  Y.  Journal  of  Commerce. 

We  know  of  no  treatise  concerning  American  history  which  is 
likely  to  exercise  larger  or  better  inHuence  in  leading  Americans  to 
read  between  the  lines  of  our  country's  annals.  *  *  *  The  little 
book  is  so  direct  and  simple  in  the  manner  of  its  presentation  of 
truth,  so  attractive  in  substance,  that  its  circulation  is  likely  to 
be  wide.  Its  appeal  is  as  directly  to  the  farmer  or  mechanic  as 
to  the  philosophic  student  of  politics  or  history. — N.  Y.  Commercial 
Advertiser. 

There  is  not  a  line  in  the  entire  work  which  is  not  laden  with 
the  richest  fruits  of  a  trained  and  powerful  intellect. — Commercial 
Bulleti)}, Bostou. 

When  Mr.  Fiske  comes  to  discuss  American  history  by  the  com- 
parative method,  he  enters  a  field  of  special  and  vital  interest  to 
all  who  have  ever  taken  up  this  method  of  study.  Our  history,  as 
tlie  author  says,  when  viewed  in  this  broad  and  yet  impartial  way, 
acquires  a  new  dignity.  There  is  no  need  to  say  that  Mr.  Fiske's 
pages  are  worthy  of  the  most  careful  study. — Brooklyn  Union. 

From  this  point  of  view  the  consideration  of  the  political  ideas 
of  this  conntry  becomes  something  more  than  a  mere  study  of 
history ;  it  constitutes  a  page  of  philosophy,  a  social  study  of  the 
most  transcendaut  importance.  Such  is  the  spirit  with  which 
Prof.  Fiske  handles  his  subject.  He  shows  how  our  institutions 
liave  grown  and  developed  from  the  past,  how  they  have  a  firm 
basis  in  nature,  and  how  they  must  develop  in  the  future.  The 
lectures  are  important  reading;  they  are  also  pleasant  reading,  for 
the  literary  style  of  Prof.  Fiske  is  exceptionally  pure,  clear,  and 
graceful. — Boston  Gazette. 

A  volume  of  great  interest,  and  ilhistrates  very  happily  some  of 
the  fundamental  ideas  of  American  politics  by  setting  forth  their 
relations  to  the  general  history  of  mankind.  *  *  *  We  heartily 
connnend  this  little  volume  to  such  of  our  readers  as  desire  to  en- 
large their  ideas  and  views  of  the  political  principles  nnderlying  the 
foundations  of  our  system  of  government. — Christian  at  Worlt:,  N.  Y. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 


CHARLES  NORDHOFF'S  WORKS. 


POLITICS  FOR  YOUNG  AMERICANS.  By  Charles  Nordhofp.  16mo, 
Half  Leather,  75  cents  ;  Paper,  40  cents. 

It  is  a  book  that  should  be  in  the  hand  of  every  American  boy  and  girl.  This 
book  of  Mr.  Nordhoff 's  might  be  learned  by  heart.  Each  word  has  its  valae ; 
each  enumerated  section  has  its  pith.  It  is  a  complete  system  of  political  science, 
economical  and  other,  as  applied  to  our  American  system.— iV.  Y.  Herald. 

CALIFORNIA :  A  Book  for  Travellers  and  Settlers.  By  Charles  Nord- 
hofp. A  New  Edition.  With  Maps  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$2  00. 

Mr  Nordhoff's  plan  is  to  see  what  is  curious,  important,  and  true,  and  then  to 
tell  it  in  the  simplest  manner.  Herodotus  is  evidently  his  prototype.  Strong 
sense,  a  Doric  truthfulness,  and  a  very  earnest  contemi)t  for  anything  like  pre- 
tensicm  or  sensationalism,  and  an  enthusiasm  none  the  less  agreeable  because 
straitened  in  its  expression,  are  his  qualities.— xY.  F.  Evening  Post. 

THE  COMMUNISTIC  SOCIETIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES;  from 
Personal  Visit  and  Observation :  including  Detailed  Accounts  of  the 
Economists,  Zoarites,  Shakers;  the  Amana,  Oneida,  Bethel,  Aurora, 
Icarian,  and  other  Existing  Societies ;  their  Religious  Creeds,  Social 
Practices,  Numbers,  Industries,  and  Present  Condition.  By  Charles 
Nordhoff.     Illustrated.     8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

Mr  Nordhoff  has  derived  his  materials  from  personal  observation,  having  vis- 
ited the  principal  Communistic  societies  in  the  United  States,  and  taken  diligent 
note  of  the  peculiar  features  of  their  religious  creed  and  practices,  their  social  and 
domestic  customs,  and  their  industrial  and  tinancial  arrangements.  With  his 

exceptionally  keen  powers  of  perception,  and  his  habits  of  practised  observation, 
he  could  not  engage  in  such  an  inquiry  without  amassing  a  fund  of  curious 
information.  In  stating  the  results  of  his  investigations,  he  writes  with  exem- 
plary candor  and  impartiality,  though  not  without  the  exercise  of  just  and  sound 
discrimination.— .V.  Y.  Tribune. 

CAPE  COD  AND  ALL  ALONG  SHORE :  STORIES.  By  Charles  Nord- 
hoff.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50 ;  4to,  Paper,  15  cents. 

Light,  clever,  well-written  sketches.— X  Y.  Times. 

A  lively  and  agreeable  volume,  full  of  humor  and  incident.— ^osion  Transcript. 

GOD  AND  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  The  Reasonableness  of  Christianity. 
By  Charles  Nordhoff.     1 6 mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

Mr.  Nordhoff's  object  is  not  so  much  to  present  a  religious  system  as  to  give 
practical  and  sufficient  reasons  for  every-day  beliefs.  He  writes  strongly,  clearly, 
and  in  the  vein  that  the  people  understand.— jBos^.o?i  Herald. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  HEIsllY  TAYLOR. 


In  Two  Yolumes.     AYitli  Portrait.     Vol.  I.,  pp.  x.,  308 ;  Vol. 
II.,  pp.,  viiL,  288.     8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

No  English  autobiography  witli  which  we  are  acquainted  is  compar- 
able with  Sir  Henry  Taylor's  book  in  respect  of  simplicity,  sincerity,  and 
candor.  Witli  a  modesty  that  is  never  strained  or  misplaced,  with  a 
frank  recognition  of  his  own  earnest  efforts  to  do  praiseworthy  tilings, 
and  a  just  appraisement  of  the  measure  of  success  attending  them,  with- 
out the  faintest  indication  of  a  wish  to  disparage  the  talents  or  the  tri- 
umphs of  other  men,  or  to  depict  himself  as  greater  or  better  than  he 
was,  the  author  in  his  green  old  age  tells  the  story  of  a  busy,  useful, 
and  interesting  life,  which  has  had  its  share  of  honor,  and  will  leave  be- 
hind it  fruitage  of  a  rare  and  sterling  sort. — N.  T.  Stm. 

In  the  midst  of  so  much  that  is  necessarily  inharmonious  and  provoca- 
tive of  envy,  malice,  and  all  uncharitableness,  in  the  avalanche  of  personal 
detail,  it  is  delightful  to  come  upon  an  autobiography  like  this  of  Sir 
Henry. Taylor's,  with  its  panorama  of  life  critically  yet  kindly  presented. 
.  .  .  Tlie  work  is  thoroughly  entertaining,  and  the  entertainment  is  of  a 
high  order.  One  recalls  what  Gladstone  said  of  Taylor,  that  he  "only 
needed  ambition  to  make  him  a  great  man." — Boston  JSveidng  Traveller. 

It  is  an  exceptionally  interesting  and  entertaining  book,  as  it  tells 
the  history  of  a  long  life  spent  in  many  useful  works,  and  in  intimate 
connection  with  the  important  Englishmen  and  English  events  of  the 
past  eighty  years.  .  .  .  His  recollections  of  men  and  his  record  of  the 
striking  events  of  his  time  are  extremely  readable,  and  the  whole  book 
may  be  taken  as  a  representative  autobiography  of  one  of  the  literary 
men  of  the  old  school  Avho  did  something  beside  write  books. — Brooklyn 
Union. 

These  two  volumes  are  worthy  to  flank  any  of  an  autobiographical 
nature  which  have  been  published.  Mr.  Taylor  knew  all  the  literar}^  and 
political  lions  of  his  time,  and  tells  much  that  is  new  and  entertaining 
about  them.  He  is  strong  in  the  critical  faculty,  and  makes  man}^  wise 
comments  on  his  contemporaries. — ]\\  Y.  Journal  of  Commerce. 

No  other  man  in  England,  probably,  or  at  least  none  who  would  write 
it  out,  possessed  such  an  intimate  personal  knowledge  of  the  conspicu- 
ous men  and  Avomen  of  the  present  ci-a.  His  knowledge  of  the  literar}' 
world  began  with  Southey,  and  embraced  the  very  youngest  poets  now 
writing.  With  novelists,  historians,  scientists,  he  hud  an  intimate  per- 
sonal relation,  visiting  them  in  their  homes  and  receiving  them  in  liis. 
He  knew  the  men  and  women  of  whom  the  world  delights  to  hear,  and 
he  therefore  tills  many  pages  with  interesting  reminiscences.  .  .  .  The  two 
volumes  are  certain  to  be  widely  read. — N.  Y.  Times. 


Published  by  HARPER  &,  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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BOOTS 'AND  SADDLES; 

Or  Life  in  Dakota  Avitli  General  Custer.     By  Mrs.  Eliz- 

'abeth  B.  Custer.     With  Portrait  of  General  Custer. 

pp.  312.     12mo,  Cloth,  |1  50. 

A  book  of  adventure  is  interesting  reading,  especially  when  it  is  all  true, 

as  is  the  case  Avith  "Boots  and  Saddles."  *  *  *  She  does  not  obtrude  the 

fact  that  sunshine  and  solace  went  with  her  to  tent  and  fort,  but  it  in- 

heres  in  her  narrative  none  the  less,  and  as  a  consequence  "  these  simple 

annals  of  our  daily  life,"  as  she  calls  them,  are  never  dull  nor  uninterest- 

ing. — Evangelist,  N.  Y. 

Mrs.  Custer's  book  is  in  reality  a  bright  and  sunny  sketch  of  the  life 
of  her  late  husband,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  "  Little  Big  Horn."  *  *  * 
After  the  war,  when  General  Custer  was  sent  to  the  Indian  frontier,  his 
wife  was  of  the  party,  and  she  is  able  to  give  the  minute  story  of  her 
husband's  varied  career,  since  she  was  almost  always  near  the  scene  of 
his  adventures. — Brooklyn  Union. 

We  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  no  better  or  more  satisfactory  life 
of  General  Custer  could  have  been  written.  Indeed,  we  may  as  well 
speak  the  thought  that  is  in  us,  and  say  plainly  that  we  know  of  no  bio- 
graphical work  anywhere  which  we  count  better  than  this.  *  *  *  Surely  the 
record  of  such  experiences  as  these  will  be  read  with  that  keen  interest 
which  attaches  only  to  strenuous  human  doings ;  as  surely  we  are  right 
in  saying  that  sucli  a  story  of  truth  and  heroism  as  that  here  told  will 
take  a  deeper  hold  upon  the  popular  mind  and  heart  than  any  work  of 
fiction  can.  For  the  rest,  the  narrative  is  as  vivacious  and  as  lightly  and 
trippingly  given  as  that  of  any  novel.  It  is  enriched  in  every  chapter  with 
illustrative  anecdotes  and  incidents,  and  here  and  there,  a  httle  life  story 
of  pathetic  interest  is  told  as  an  episode.— iV".  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

It  is  a  plain,  straightforward  story  of  the  author's  Ufe  on  the  plains  of 
Dakota.  Every  member  of  a  Western  garrison  will  want  to  read  this 
book  ;  every  person  in  the  East  who  is  interested  in  Western  life  will 
want  to  read  it,  too ;  and  every  girl  or  boy  who  has  a  healthy  appetite 
for  adventure  will  be  sure  to  get  it.  It  is  bound  to  have  an  army  of  read- 
ers that  few  authors  can  expect. — Philadelphia  Fi-ess. 

These  annals  of  daily  life  in  the  army  are  simple,  yet  interesting,  and 
underneath  all  is  discerned  the  love  of  a  true  woman  ready  for  any  sacri- 
fice. She  touches  on  themes  little  canvassed  by  the  civilian,  and  makes  a 
volume  equally  redolent  of  a  loving  devotion  to  an  honored  husband,  and 
attractive  as  a  picture  of  necessary  duty  by  the  soldier. —  Commonwealth, 
Boston.  

Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  N.  Y. 

Habpkb  »&  Bkothers  iviR  send  the  above,  toork  by  mail,  postage  prepaid^  to  any 
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FLY-RODS  AND  FLY-TACKLE. 

Suggestions  as  to  their  Manufacture  and  Use.  By  Henry 
P.  Wells.  Illustrated,  pp.  364.  Post  8vo,  Illumi- 
nated Cloth,  |2  50. 

Mr.  Wells  has  devoted  more  time  and  attention  to  the  materials  used  in 
fly-fishing  than  any  person  we  know  of,  and  his  experience  is  well  set  forth 
in  this  most  valuable  book.  **  "^  The  author  is  an  amateur  rod-maker  who 
has  experimented  with  every  wood  known  to  rod  manufacturers,  as  well  as 
with  some  that  are  not  known  to  them,  and  therefore  he  is  an  undoubted 
authority  on  the  subject.  This  chapter  and  the  one  following,  which  gives 
directions  in  rod-making,  forms  the  most  perfect  treatise  on  rods  extant. 
*  *  *  The  book  is  one  of  great  value,  and  will  take  its  place  as  a  standard 
authority  on  all  points  of  which  it  treats,  and  we  cannot  commend  it  too 
highly. — Forest  and  /Stream^  N.  Y. 

Since  Izaak  Walton  lingered  over  themes  piscatorial,  we  have  learned  to 
expect,  in  all  essays  on  the  gentle  art  of  angling,  a  certain  daintiness  and 
elegance  of  literary  form  as  well  as  technical  utility.  Publisher  and  author 
have  co-operated  to  meet  these  traditional  requirements  in  "Fly-Rods  and 
Fly-Tackle."  *  -^  *  Mr.  Wells's  competence  to  expound  the  somewhat  in- 
tricate principles  and  delicate  processes  of  fly-fishing  will  be  plain  to  any 
reader  who  himself  has  some  practical  acquaintance  with  the  art  discussed. 
The  value  of  the  author's  instructions  and  suggestions  is  signally  enhanced 
by  their  minuteness  and  lucidity. — iV.  T.  Sun. 

A  complete  m-anual  for  the  ambitious  lover  of  fishing  for  trout.  *  *  *  All 
lovers  of  fly-fishing  should  have  Mr.  Wells's  book  in  their  outfit  for  the 
sport  that  is  near  at  hand. — Philadelphia  Bulletin. 

Mr.  Wells  reveals  to  us  the  mysteries  of  lines,  leaders,  and  reels,  rods, 
rod  material,  and  rod-making.  He  lets  us  into  the  secret  of  making  re- 
pairs, and  gives  all  due  directions  for  casting  the  fly.  *  *  *  Moreover,  Mr. 
Wells  writes  in  an  attractive  style.  There  is  a  certain  charm  in  the  heart- 
iness and  grace  wherewith  he  expresses  his  appreciation  of  those  beauties 
of  nature  which  the  angler  has  so  unlimited  an  opportunity  of  enjoying. 
Thus  what  may  be  called  not  only  a  technical,  but  also  a  scientific,  knowl- 
edge of  his  subject  is  combined  with  a  keen  delight  in  hill,  stream,  and  for- 
est for  the  sake  of  the  varied  loveliness  they  display. — N.  Y.  Telegram. 

A  book  of  practical  hints  about  the  manufacture  and  use  of  anglers' 
gear.  Fish-hooks,  lines,  leaders,  rods  and  rod-making,  repairs,  flies  and 
fly-fishing,  are  among  the  important  subjects  discussed  with  great  fulness. 
The  essay  on  "Casting  the  Fly"  and  "Miscellaneous  Suggestions"  are 
rich  in  points  for  beginners.  It  is  to  the  latter,  and  not  to  the  experts, 
that  Mr.  Wells  modestly  dedicates  his  work.  His  object  is  to  supply  pre- 
cisely the  kind  of  information  of  which  he  stood  so  much  in  need  during 
hia  own  novitiate. — N.  Y.  Journal  of  Commerce. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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HOME  STUDIES  IN  NATURE. 

By  Mary  Treat,  Author  of  "  Chapters  on  Ants,"  &c.     lUus- 
tvated.     pp.  244.     12mo,  Ornamental  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Mrs.  Treat  roams  through  the  fields  in  search  of  rare  knowledge  about 
birds,  wasps,  spiders,  and  those  wonderful  plants  that  entrap  insects  and 
thrive  on  their  juices.  Her  originality  in  these  researches  is  undoubted, 
and  she  adds  a  great  deal  to  our  stock  of  facts  for  use  in  the  interpreta- 
tion of  nature.  She  has  a  pleasant  style,  and  a  winning  knack  of  making 
disagreeable  things  seem  otherwise.  The  pictures  are  many  and  good. — 
^\  Y.  Journal  of  Commerce. 

A  worthy  tribute  from  a  'over  of  nature  to  the  animated  world  about 
her.  It  treats  of  birds,  insects,  plants  that  consume  animals,  and  flowering 
plants.  It  has  nearly  seventy  handsome  illustrations,  and  the  story  is  told 
in  fascinating  and  clearly-expressed  language.  It  is  an  admirable  work 
with  which  to  educate  a  family. — Boston  Commonwealth. 

To  those  who  have  given  attention  to  the  beauties  of  nature  as  devel- 
oped in  the  winged  world  and  the  insect  and  floral  branches,  this  little 
volume  will  be  peculiarly  grateful. — Albany  Press. 

Books  on  this  subject  are  generally  regarded  by  every  one  not  profes- 
sional scientists  as  dreadful  bores.  An  exception  must  be  made,  however, 
in  favor  of  Mrs.  Mary  Treat's  "  Home  Studies  in  Nature."  The  only 
echoes  of  science  between  the  two  covers  are  the  Latin  names  of  birds, 
insects,  and  plants ;  all  else  are  most  curious  and  readable  accounts  of 
the  doings  of  some  creatures  so  tiny  that  they  frequently  are  near  us,  and 
watching  us,  when  Ave  imagine  ourselves  alone.  *  *  *  This  would  be  a  capi- 
tal book  to  give  a  bright-eyed  boy  or  girl  who  complains  that  about  home 
"  there  is  nothing  to  look  at."  Adults,  however  will  also  enjoy  the  volume, 
and  may  make  their  eyesight  keener  by  reading  it. — -A^.  Y.  Herald. 

The  public  should  feel  glad  that  occasionally  a  man  or  a  woman  finds 
highest  pleasure  in  studying  the  ways  and  habits  of  nature,  and  publishing 
the  result  of  such  study  to  the  world.  This  is  what  Mrs.  Treat  has  done. 
*  *  *  Her  book  is  divided  into  four  parts — observations  on  birds,  habits  of 
insects,  plants  that  consume  animals,  and  flowering  plants.  It  is,  moreover, 
helped  by  nearly  seventy  illustrations,  which  in  a  work  of  this  character 
are  of  material  assistance ;  for  the  great  majority  of  readers  are  unfamil- 
iar with  the  appearance  of  the  birds,  flowers,  and  insects,  the  habits  of 
which  are  described.  The  author  shows  herself  to  be  a  keen,  conscien- 
tious, and  affectionate  observer. — N.  Y.  Telegram. 

Mrs,  Treat  can  always  command  a  delightful  audience ;  for  next  to  the 
pleasure  of  searching  fields,  woods,  and  streams  for  the  beautiful  or  curi- 
ous, it  is  charming  to  hear  from  so  close  an  observer  so  much  that  is  in- 
teresting and  new,  especially  when  all  is  told  with  vivacity  and  genuine 
enthusiasm.  *  *  *  The  volume  is  finely  illustrated,  and  its  contents  cannot 
tail  to  entertain  the  reader,  young  or  old,  who  has  learned,  or  is  learning, 
about  the  busy  world  out-of-doors. —  Worcester  Daily  Spy. 


Published  by  HARPER    &    BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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BISHOP  SIMPSON'S  SERMONS. 


Sermons  of  the  Rev.  Matthew  Simpson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  late 
Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Edited  by 
the  Kev.  George  R.  Crooks,  D.D.  pp.  x.,  454.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $2  50. 

This  is  a  welcome  volume.  The  Christian  community  was  awaiting  it. 
It  is  the  best  we  can  have,  now  that  the  man  and  Ills  eloquent  tongue, 
which  clothed  them  with  life  and  beauty,  is  gone.  They  are  able  and 
eloquent,  even  on  the  printed  page,  and  full  of  evangelical  truth. — Pres- 
byterian, Philadelphia. 

The  discourses  given  in  this  volume  possess  the  impressive  character- 
istics of  their  author — they  are  fresh,  vigorous,  clear,  and  telling.  Only 
two  of  them  were  ever  committed  to  writing,  and  nearly  all  of  them  were 
taken  down  as  uttered  from  the  lips  of  the  living  speaker,  glowing  with 
intense  emotion  and  pathos. — Lutheran  Observer.  Philadelphia. 

The  simplicity  and  directness  of  language  in  these  sermons,  their  ear- 
nestness and  vigorous,  penetrating  force,  the  spirit  of  sympathy  that  they 
breathe,  are  but  a  faint  indication,  after  all,  of  the  power  that  the  preacher 
had  over  his  congregations. — Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

Our  pastors  and  people  will  welcome  the  volume  as  a  rich  addition  to 
their  libraries. — Zio)i's  Herald. 

American  Methodism  has  produced  no  man  more  revered  by  the  entire 
denomination  than  Matthew  Simpson.  To  executive  abilities  of  a  high  or- 
der Bishop  Simpson  added  a  general  character  so  pure,  consistent,  and 
noble  that  men  who  knew  him  unconsciously  accepted  his  words  almost 
as  if  they  were  direct  results  of  inspiration.  .  .  .  Although  they  cannot 
reproduce  his  voice  nor  the  peculiar  expression  which  his  face  always 
wore  when  he  was  preaching,  they  show  the  secret  of  his  pulpit  strength 
to  have  been  drawn  from  the  same  sources  as  that  of  the  great  preachers 
of  the  other  churches — sincerity  of  belief,  sense  of  responsibility,  and  no- 
bility of  character. — N.  Y.  Herald. 

Bishop  Simpson  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  great  pulpit  orators  of 
his  day  in  this  country,  and  his  utterances  always  had  a  gracefulness  and 
a  brilliancy  that  were  exceptionally  charming  and  moving.  lie  never 
spoke  save  with  the  earnestness  of  absolute  conviction,  and  the  powerful 
quality  thus  imparted  to  his  discom-ses  is  apparent  in  a  measure  in  these 
I)rinted  j)ages.  The  sermons  here  presented  are  twenty-five  in  number. 
They  are  tlioroughly  religious,  not  a  little  doctrinal,  but  with  scarcely  a 
breath  of  sectarianism  about  them.  They  are  marked  by  religious  fer- 
vor, deep  conviction  of  the  truth,  a  perfect  frankness  of  expression  and 
earnestness  of  purpose.  They  are  admirable  specimens  of  pulpit  oratory, 
and  have  also  a  value  beyond  that  in  the  thoughts  which  they  present. — 
Boston  Gazette. 

Published  by  HARPER  ife  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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OATS  OR  WILD  OATS! 


Common-sense  for  Young   Men.     By  J.  M.  Buckley,  LL.D. 
pp.  xiv.,  306.     12mo,  Cloth,  isi  50. 

It  is  a  good  book,  which  ought  to  do  good  on  a  large  scale.  .  .  .  Such 
passages  as  those  headed  Tact,  Obsefvatiou,  Reflection,  Self-command,  and 
tiie  like,  may  be  read  and  re-read  many  times  with  advantage. — Brooklyn 
U7iion. 

A  book  wiiich  sliould  be  recommended  to  the  consideration  of  every 
young  man  who  is  preparing  to  go  into  a  business  career  or  any  other  in 
which  he  may  aspire  to  become  an  honorable,  useful,  and  prosperous  citi- 
zen. .  .  .  Dr.  Buckley  knows  the  trials  and  the  temptations  to  wliich 
young  men  are  exposed,  and  his  book,  while  written  in  most  agreeable 
language,  is  full  of  excellent  counsel,  and  illustrations  are  given  by  an- 
ecdotes and  by  examples  which  the  author  has  observed  or  heard  of  in 
his  own  experience.  Besides  general  advice,  there  are  especial  chapters 
relating  to  professional,  commercial,  and  other  occupations.  So  good  a 
book  should  be  widely  distributed,  and  it  will  tell  on  the  next  generation. 
— Philadelphia  Bulletin. 

It  is  a  model  manual,  and  will  be  as  interesting  to  a  bright,  go-ahead 
boy  as  a  novel. — Philadelphia  Record. 

The  scheme  of  the  book  is  to  assist  young  men  in  the  choice  of  a 
profession  or  life  pursuit  by  explaining  the  leading  principles  and  char- 
acteristics of  different  branches  of  business,  so  that  the  reader  may  see 
what  his  experiences  are  likely  to  be,  and  thus  be  enabled  to  make  an 
intelligent  selection  among  the  many  avenues  of  labor.  In  order  to  make 
his  work  accurate  and  comprehensive,  Dr.  Buckley  has  consulted  mer- 
chants, lawyers,  statesmen,  farmers,  manufacturers,  men  in  all  walks  of 
life,  and  specialists  of  every  description,  visiting  and  examining  their  es- 
tablishments, offices,  and  studios.  From  the  knowledge  thus  gained  he 
has  prepared  the  greater  part  of  his  book  The  remainder  is  given  to 
general  advice,  and  contains  the  old  maxims  familiar  to  all  young  men 
from  the  time  of  Poor  Richard.  Success  is  won  by  good  behavior,  intelli- 
gence, and  industry.  These  are  the  "  Oats."  The  "  Wild  Oats  "  of  lazi- 
ness, carelessness,  and  dissipation  bring  ruin,  disaster,  and  misery.  The 
work  is  likely  to  attract  readers  from  its  practical  value  as  a  compendium 
of  facts  relating  to  the  various  departments  of  labor  rather  than  on  ac- 
count of  its  moral  injunctions.  It  cannot  help  being  very  useful  to  the 
class  of  young  men  for  whom  it  is  intended,  as  also  to  parents  who  have 
boys  to  start  out  into  the  world. — N.  Y.  Times. 


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GEORGE  ELIOT'S  LIFE  AND  WORKS. 


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A  SIMPLETON,  AND  THE  WAN-    IT    IS    NEVER   TOO    LATE    TO 


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A  Dictionary  of  the  English  Language,  Pronouncing,  Etymological, 
and  Explanatory,  Embracing  Scientific  and  Other  Terms,  Numer- 
ous Familiar  Terms,  and  a  Copious  Selection  of  Old  English 
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This  may  serve  in  great  measure  the  purposes  of  an  English  cyclopaedia.  It  gives 
lucid  and  succinct  deflnitions  of  the  technical  terms  in  science  and  art,  in  law  and 
medicine,  We  have  the  explanation  of  words  and  phrases  that  puzzle  most  people, 
showing  wonderfully  comprehensive  and  out-of-the-way  research.  We  need  only  add 
that  the  Dictionary  appears  in  all  its  departments  to  have  been  brought  down  to  meet 
the  latest  demands  of  the  day,  and  that  it  is  admirably  printed. — Times,  London. 

A  most  valuable  addition  to  the  library  of  the  scholar  and  of  the  general  reader. 
It  can  have  for  the  present  no  possible  rival. — Boston  Post. 

It  has  the  bones  and  sinews  of  the  grand  dictionary  of  the  future.  *  *  *  An  invalu- 
able library  book. — Ecclesiastical  Gazette,  London. 

A  work  which  is  certainly  without  a  rival,  all  things  considered,  among  the  dic- 
tionaries of  our  language.  The  peculiarity  of  the  work  is  that  it  is  equally  well  adapt- 
ed to  the  uses  of  the  man  of  business,  who  demands  compactness  and  ease  of  reference, 
and  to  those  of  the  most  exigent  scholar. — N.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

As  compared  with  our  standard  dictionaries,  it  is  better  in  type,  richer  in  its  vocab- 
ulary, and  happier  in  arrangement.  Its  system  of  grouping  is  admirable.  *  *  *  He 
who  possesses  this  dictionary  will  enjoy  and  use  it,  and  its  bulk  is  not  so  great  as  to 
make  use  of  it  a  terror. — Christian  Advocate,  N.  Y. 

A  well-planned  and  carefully  executed  work,  which  has  decided  merits  of  its  own, 
and  for  which  there  is  a  place  not  filled  by  any  of  its  rivals.— jV.  Y.  Sun. 

A  work  of  sterling  value.  It  has  received  from  all  quarters  the  highest  commenda- 
tion.— Lutheran  Observer,  Philadelphia. 

A  trustworthy,  truly  scholarly  dictionary  of  our  English  language. — Christian  Intel- 
ligencer, N.  Y. 

The  issue  of  Stormonth's  great  English  dictionary  is  meeting  with  a  hearty  wel- 
come everywhere. — Boston  Transcript. 

A  critical  and  accurate  dictionary,  the  embodiment  of  good  scholarship  and  the 
result  of  modern  researches.  Compression  and  clearness  are  its  external  evidences, 
and  it  offers  a  favorable  comparison  with  the  best  dictionaries  in  use,  while  it  holds  an 
unrivalled  place  in  bringing  forth  the  result  of  modern  philological  criticism. — Boston 
Journal. 

Full,  complete,  and  accurate,  including  all  the  latest  words,  and  giving  all  their 
derivatives  and  correlatives.  The  deflnitions  are  short,  bat  plain,  the  method  of  mak- 
ing pronunciation  very  simple,  and  the  arrangement  such  as  to  give  the  best  results 
in  the  smallest  space. — Philadelphia  Inquirer. 


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niS'v 


BP175.I\/I2D23 

The  Mahdi,  past  and  present, 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00010  3442 


